Free 2016 Christmas tree permits for fourth graders

By Ben Olson
Reader Staff

The Idaho Panhandle National Forests will issue free Christmas tree permits for fourth graders with an Every Kid in a Park pass! The free tree permit is part of the U.S. Forest Service’s Every Kid in a Park program. The program is part of an interagency call to action to build the next generation of conservationists.

All fourth graders, including homeschooled fourth graders, are eligible to receive a pass that allows free access to 2,000-plus federal land and water sites across the country for one full year. Students must visit www.everykidinapark.gov to print the voucher and bring it to any of the Idaho Panhandle National Forests offices. The fourth grader does need to be present and  must show a valid paper voucher or durable Every Kid in a Park pass obtained from the website or participating federal agency in order to receive a free Christmas tree permit. A mail-order form is not an option for this program.

Christmas tree permits will be sold at the Capitol Christmas Tree event in Coeur d’Alene on Sherman Avenue this Friday, Nov. 11, from 10:00 a.m.-12:00 p.m.  Christmas tree permits are also available at all Idaho Panhandle National Forests offices and most of our 2.4 million acres of National Forest System lands are open to Christmas tree cutting. If you do not have a fourth grader at home, regular permits are $5 each with a maximum of three Christmas tree permits per family. For office hours and locations, visit https://www.fs.usda.gov/ipnf.