去国家森林自己砍一棵圣诞树只要5美元许可：Mt. Hood国家森林每户最多5棵、四年级学生免费领许可
美国林务局的 Mt. Hood 国家森林（位于俄勒冈州）公布了今年的圣诞树许可规则：圣诞树砍伐季在11月开启，一张许可5美元，可以在国家森林里自己选一棵树砍回家过节。在线通过 Recreation.gov 购买要另付2.50美元手续费，在林务局站点或本地经销商处买则没有这笔费用。
规矩写得很细：每个家庭一年最多买5张许可；选的树最高不能超过15英尺，而且必须长在另一棵树12英尺范围之内，挑密林里挤着长的树，不要砍孤零零单独长的一棵；砍的时候要整棵砍倒，留下的树桩离地面不能高于6英寸。禁区也明确：公路100英尺以内、荒野区、游憩区和步道沿线、正在进行的木材采伐区，都不能砍。
四年级学生有一份额外的福利：凭 Every Kid Outdoors 通行证或凭证，可以免费领一张圣诞树许可，可以在 Sandy 或 Zigzag 林区站点领取，也可以在 Recreation.gov 在线领取（在线要付2.50美元手续费），本地经销商处则领不到免费许可，领的时候孩子本人要在场。
林务局说，自己动手砍树不只是省钱，也是参与公共土地管理的一种方式：按规则疏伐密林里的树，能帮林地保持健康。出门前先看许可附带的采伐指南和地图，工具、防滑和保暖都备齐，这份节日仪式感就齐了。（来源：美国林务局）
Cut Your Own Christmas Tree in a National Forest for a $5 Permit: Mt. Hood Allows Five Trees per Household, and Fourth Graders Get Theirs Free
The U.S. Forest Service's Mt. Hood National Forest in Oregon has posted the rules for this year's Christmas tree season, which reopens in November: a permit costs $5 per tree and lets a household cut its own tree on national forest land. Buying online through Recreation.gov adds a $2.50 service fee; permits bought from a vendor or a district office carry no additional fee.
The cutting rules are specific. The annual limit is five trees per household. A tree can be no more than 15 feet tall and must be growing within 12 feet of another tree, so cutters take a tree out of a crowded stand rather than a lone specimen. The whole tree must be cut down, leaving a stump no more than 6 inches from the ground. Cutting is prohibited within 100 feet of any highway, in wilderness and recreation areas and along trails, and inside active timber sales.
Fourth graders get an extra benefit: with an Every Kid Outdoors pass or voucher in hand, a fourth grader can receive a free Christmas tree permit, at the Sandy or Zigzag district offices or online at Recreation.gov, where the $2.50 service fee still applies. Free fourth-grade permits are not available from local vendors, and the fourth grader must be present to receive one at a district office.
The Forest Service frames the tradition as a way to take an active part in managing public lands: removing trees from dense stands under the permit rules helps the forest stay healthy. Before heading out, permit holders should read the permit guidelines and forest maps that come with the permit, and bring the tools, traction and warm clothing a November trip into the forest requires. (Source: U.S. Forest Service)
来源：美国林务局
发布：GSM·美国（发布链接）
图片来源：Wikimedia Commons 摄影，CC BY-SA 4.0：雪林中砍伐圣诞树（示意：国家森林自砍圣诞树）
GSM Global · 本篇英文版 English edition of this story
