South Lake Tahoe, Calif. –The U.S. Forest Service Lake Tahoe Basin Management Unit Christmas tree permits are sold out. Both the North and South Shore offices ran out of permits today, December 4, 2013. In mid-November, 2,500 permits were issued on a first-come, first- served basis. No additional permits will be authorized for this season.

Other options for cutting a tree on National Forest System land include the Plumas, Shasta-Trinity, Lassen and Inyo National Forests. In addition, private Christmas tree farms are located in Placer, Nevada and El Dorado counties. For more information on other locations to purchase a permit, visit http://www.fs.usda.gov/goto/ltbmu/ChristmasTreePermits.

Permit sales in the Lake Tahoe Basin began in 2003, and over the years the program has grown in popularity. Harvesting smaller diameter trees offer a traditional holiday experience while helping to thin the forest.

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