'Tis the season for a holiday tree

Holiday tree permits are now available through December 24, 2018 at all Olympic National Forest offices.

Olympic National Forest offices in Olympia, Quinault, Forks and Quilcene offer these holiday tree permits during regular business hours. Office hours are Monday through Friday from 8:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. excluding federal holidays. For more information or additional special hours, please call (360) 956-2402.

Permits are $5.00 each and are good for one u-cut tree on the Forest. Credit cards are now being accepted as well as cash and checks. Each permit is good for one tree and five permits are allowed per household.

When heading to the woods, remember to let someone know where you are going and be prepared for the cold and changing weather conditions. Carry basic safety equipment including a forest map. Most National Forest roads are not maintained or snowplowed during the winter.

For information about the Olympic National Forest, go to https://www.fs.usda.gov/main/olympic/home or call 360-956-2402.

– USDA

Photo by Morf Morford
Photo by Morf Morford

Holiday tree passes for fourth graders

Olympia, WA – The Olympic National Forest is excited to announce that it will begin issuing a free holiday tree permit for fourth graders with a 2018-2019 Every Kid in a Park pass.

Olympic National Forest offices in Olympia, Quinault, Forks and Quilcene offer the free tree permit as part of the U.S. Forest Service’s Every Kid in a Park program.  The offices will have these holiday tree permits available through December 24, 2018.  Office hours are Monday through Friday from 8:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. excluding federal holidays. For more information or additional special hours, please call (360) 956-2402.

All fourth graders are eligible to receive a fourth-grade Every Kid pass that allows free access to 2,000-plus federally managed lands and water sites across the country for one full year. Instructions on how fourth graders can obtain an Every Kid pass or voucher is available at www.everykidinapark.gov.

To obtain a free tree permit from the Olympic National Forest, the fourth grader must be present and show a valid paper voucher or durable pass obtained from the website or participating federal agency.

The Forest Service Every Kid in a Park program emphasizes recreation and conservation on national forests, grasslands and tallgrass or prairie. Every Kid is a federal interagency effort that includes the Forest Service and six other federal agencies: U.S. Bureau of Land Management, U.S. Bureau of Reclamation, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, National Park Service, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, and U.S. Army Corps of Engineers.

Today, more than 80 percent of American families live in urban areas, and many lack easy access to safe outdoor spaces. At the same time, kids are spending more hours than ever in front of screens instead of outside. The Every Kid in a Park program offers fourth graders valuable opportunities to explore, learn, and play in the spectacular places that belong to us all and aims to inspire stewardship of these places for future generations.

– USDA