Permits are now available to cut your own Christmas tree on the San Juan National Forest. They are on sale for $8 at Forest Service offices and selected retail businesses.

A permit allows the bearer to cut one tree up to 20 feet tall for personal use. The permit is good through Dec. 31. Permits come with a brochure of safety tips, information on which tree species may be cut, and the best places to find trees.

New this year, the San Juan National Forest is offering one free permit to fourth grade students with a valid "Every Kid in a Park" pass or a paper voucher downloaded from www.EveryKidinaPark.gov. The free permit is good only at SJNF offices, and the participating fourth grader must be present.

Also new this year is the Durango & Silverton Narrow Gauge Christmas Tree Train. Information on that is at http://www.durangotrain.com/events/christmas-tree-train.

Tree cutting permits for the San Juan National Forest are on sale at:

. The Columbine Ranger District Office, 367 Pearl St. in Bayfield

.The SJNF Public Lands Center, 15 Burnett Ct. in Durango

. Kroeger's Ace Hardware in the Town Plaza shopping center in Durango

. The Pagosa Ranger District Office, 180 Pagosa St. in Pagosa Springs

. Cox Conoco, 201 E. Railroad Ave. in Mancos

. City Market in Cortez, 508 E. Main St.

. The Dolores Ranger District Office, 29211 Hwy 184

. The Dolores Food Market, 400 Railroad Ave.

Forest Service roads are not plowed in winter, so tree cutters need to be mindful of snow and ice conditions. Information on road conditions and tree cutting is available at the SJNF office closest to where you are going, or at http://www.fs.usda.gov/sanjuan.

Permits to cut trees on Bureau of Land Management land are sold separately.