Cut your own tree in Oregon’s national forests: $5 a tree on Mt. Hood, Willamette and Rogue River-Siskiyou, and free on the Umpqua this year. Here is what each forest has published for 2026.
Mt. Hood permit
$5
Umpqua in 2026
Free
Forests listed
5
Last checked
12 Nov
Oregon Christmas tree permits: 2026
5 national forests with 2026 information on their own pages. One has posted its 2026 cutting dates; the others give a price and the rules, or say the season reopens in November.
The Deschutes and Ochoco forests haven’t posted their 2026 season on their own pages yet. They’ll be added here as they do.
Near Portland · 1 forest, none with 2026 cutting dates yet — Mt. Hood National Forest
Mt. Hood National Forest
Sandy, Zigzag & Hood River, OR · closest to Portland
Portland’s forest. Every permit is $5, and there’s no extra fee if you buy it from a local shop or a district office.
SeasonReopens in November 2026“will reopen in November 2026”; no sale date posted yet
Permit price$5 a treeplus $2.50 on Recreation.gov; no fee from a vendor or office
Limit5 trees per household
Practical
Tree sizeup to 15 ft, growing within 12 ft of another tree
Stumpno more than 6 in; take the whole tree
Not herewithin 100 ft of a highway or trail, 200 ft of a campground, 300 ft of a stream or lake; wilderness
East sidecutting allowed on the Hood River and Barlow districts
Worth knowingFourth graders get their free permit at the Sandy or Zigzag office, or online for the $2.50 fee; shops don’t issue them. Sno-Park permits are required after 1 November.
Contact
WhereMt. Hood National Forest; offices in Sandy and Zigzag
Read on the Forest Service’s pages on 12 Nov 2026. None has published a usable 2026 season yet, so none is
carrying last year’s dates here as though they were this year’s.
Deschutes National Forest, Bend, Sisters, La Pine — its Christmas tree page was last updated in November 2025
Ochoco National Forest, Prineville and Bend — its permits page, updated September 2026, gives no year, date or price
Siuslaw National Forest, the coast: Hebo, Waldport, Reedsport — its Christmas tree page, updated April 2026, says “late October or early November” with no year
Umatilla National Forest, Pendleton — its page, last updated in 2025, gives “November 15” with no year
Oregon Christmas tree permit questions
How do I get a Christmas tree permit in Oregon?
Buy it from the national forest you want to cut in: on Recreation.gov, at a forest office, or from a local shop that sells them. Print it and carry it. On the Umpqua National Forest you don't need to buy one in 2026: print the free guidelines and map instead.
Where can I cut a Christmas tree near Portland?
On Mt. Hood National Forest. The season reopens in November 2026; permits are $5 a tree, up to five per household, and on the east side cutting is allowed on the Hood River and Barlow districts. Sno-Park permits are required after 1 November.
How much is a Christmas tree permit in Oregon?
$5 a tree on Mt. Hood, Willamette and Rogue River-Siskiyou, plus $2.50 if you buy on Recreation.gov. Umpqua's permits are free in 2026.
Can fourth graders get a free Christmas tree permit in Oregon?
Yes. Fourth graders with an Every Kid Outdoors pass get one free permit at a forest office, or on Recreation.gov for the $2.50 fee. Mt. Hood issues them at its Sandy and Zigzag offices, not at shops.
Can I cut a Christmas tree near Bend?
The Deschutes and Ochoco national forests sell permits most years, but neither has posted its 2026 season on its own page yet. We'll add them when they do.
How these were checked
Every forest here was read on the Forest Service’s own pages on 7, 9 and 12 November 2026: its Christmas tree page, its 2026 news releases, and its Recreation.gov permit page. Where a forest hasn’t printed a 2026 date or price, the card says so rather than repeating last year’s. News stories were used only to find those pages.
Rules differ from forest to forest, and roads close with the snow. Read the permit you buy, and check the road before you drive.
Also on pickinghours
Christmas tree permits in Oregon5 forests · you are here