BURLINGTON, Vt. (WCAX) – If you’re shopping for an authentic Christmas experience this year, look no further than the Green Mountain National Forest.
Ethan Ready of the U.S. Forest Service cut down his first Green Mountain National Forest Christmas tree a decade ago and never looked back.
“I’ve got a whole stack of permits in my Christmas box, and it’s something that the family’s really enjoyed and I look forward to every year,” said Ready. This year, Ready let WCAX along for his hunt, hiking over a river and through the woods in Ripton in search of the perfect tree.
He found one – but a beaver got a head start on the chopping down process for him. “The perfect Christmas tree is really in the eyes of the beholder, you know,” said Ready.
For just five dollars, you can buy your own permit to cut down a tree in Green Mountain National Forest.
“It’s really special to watch people and how excited they get around Christmas,” Ready said. He says they sell around 500 permits every year. It helps with healthy forest management and gets families outside in the snow.
“Being out in the national forest with your friends and family in search of that perfect tree is really priceless,” he said.