Did You Know You Can Cut Your Own Christmas Tree in Michigan National Forests?

I always thought it would be so cool to walk into a forest with a saw in hand and come out with a Christmas tree that I found and cut down myself. However, going into the basement and coming back up with our fake tree is way more my speed and, honestly, just as satisfying.

Here’s something a lot of Michiganders don’t realize. Well, at least I didn’t. You can legally cut down your own Christmas tree in one of Michigan’s national forests. Seriously, you can just walk in, cut one down, and drag it back to your car.

How to Cut Your Own Christmas Tree in Michigan National Forests

Here’s how it works. You just need a five-dollar permit from the U.S. Forest Service, which is valid through December 31. The catch is that Michigan only has three national forests that allow this, so your options are a little limited depending on where you live.

Your choices include Huron Manistee near Cadillac, Hiawatha in the central Upper Peninsula, and Ottawa in the far western U.P. So if you live here in Genesee County, you’re definitely looking at turning this into a family road trip situation.

The cool part about this is that it actually helps the forests. Cutting down some of the smaller, overcrowded trees gives the healthier ones more room to grow and opens things up for wildlife, too.