Twice as many Alberta families cut their own Christmas trees from Crown land this year. In 2020, Albertans applied for 17,750 permits, which is more than the last 2 years combined: 8,353 permits in 2019 and 8,116 in 2018.
Last November, Alberta’s government removed the user fee charged to Albertans for cutting their own timber from public forests. While there is no longer a user fee, a permit is still required to help direct Albertans where to go harvest.
Permits help preserve our forests for future generations by keeping track of the amount of trees being harvested and ensuring that public harvesting is done safely. To ensure the sustainability of our forests, personal use tree cutting is taken into account when Alberta calculates the annual allowable cut for forestry companies.
Crown forests belong to Albertans. That’s why, for decades, individual permits have been available to allow for small-scale personal use of Crown timber. In addition to Christmas trees, the permit can also be used for harvesting firewood, roundwood or tree transplants.
It’s been great to see so many Alberta families getting joy out of our incredible forests. With the increased interest we saw in permits for Christmas trees, I’m excited to see even more Albertans get out and enjoy our great outdoors. Get your own Personal Use Forest Products Permit online with just a few clicks.
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Devin Dreeshen
Devin Dreeshen served as Minister of Agriculture and Forestry from April 30, 2019 to November 5, 2021.