MISSOULA— The Bureau of Land Management (BLM) is encouraging people to harvest their own trees from public land this year, offering $1 permits to those who wish to do so.
“The Bureau wanted to reconnect families with their public lands and also offer a little bit of a financial break for families during the holidays,” said Jodi Wetzstein, supervisory forester for the Missoula branch of the BLM.
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There are a couple of things you should know before you go out.
Not all trees are up for grabs; specifically, you cannot cut ponderosa pine. This is largely because ponderosa pine is a large part of land managers’ plans to return the forest to its pre-colonial state.
But trees like Douglas fir, lodgepole pine and western larch are fair game.
“We try to encourage people to cut trees that look like they're in a thick area that are in need of thinning and just as a tree that makes sense in your home,” said Wetzstein.
If you’re interested, Douglas fir makes for better firewood.
“A lot of preferred fuelwood is Douglas fir in Western Montana. Some people like western larch. It's got more pitch in it. So it kind of pops more when you're burning it,” said Wetzstein.
It’s also important to know that you can only grab a tree with a permit, which you can get online or by stopping by the Missoula BLM office, and within BLM land.
MTN headed up Johnsrud, but had to go a quarter-mile from the road and stay a quarter-mile away from the river.
Picking a tree can be simple, or you can go the extra mile.
If you want to do your part to help manage the forest, however small it may be, then look for smaller trees bunched up. Then look for a tree that has a round top, as this means the tree is struggling to grow.
By taking a tree like that, you free up resources for trees around it, hopefully for trees like the ponderosa pine.
