GOLDEN GATE CANYON - For almost 150 years, none of Gilpin County’s forests have burned. Following a long spell without fires in the area from the late 1800s into the early 20th century, the Forest Service introduced Smokey Bear in the 1940s as a campaign to reduce forest fires across the country. The campaign was a success, and it wasn’t long before preventing fires of all kinds became a core component of safe outdoor recreation in America.

In the decades that followed, however, foresters began to realize that Smokey was a bit too effective when he created a federal aversion to using controlled burns to manage public lands, making those ecosystems more prone to dealing with massive wildfires. Without controlled burns or people actively logging in the area, populations of pines, spruce and junipers in the area exploded, and now our forests are overloaded with plants and young trees that could allow even a small fire to find more kindling and spread rapidly over thousands of acres of forest.

Having so many trees go uncontested in the county also limits the diversity of plant and animal species in the ecosystem and makes it more difficult for trees to grow while also trying to share limited resources with their abundant neighbors.

As a result, Golden Gate Canyon State Park has been offering a limited number of licenses to harvest Christmas trees every December to help mitigate the risk of wildfires in local, fuel-heavy forests. Accepted applicants get the chance to choose between a wide variety of trees to harvest on the southeastern side of the park. They also get to spend a beautiful winter day out at the park and receive a variety of snacks, drinks, store discounts and the opportunity to meet Santa at the visitors center before or after harvesting their tree. 

Those interested in taking part in this year’s Christmas tree cut can apply online at cpwshop.com between November 1 and November 15. Tree cutting permits will be sold for $35 to 250 selected applicants, as determined by a random name draw. An acceptance or rejection email will be sent to the address provided in your application during the week of November 17.

Applicants who successfully purchase a tree cutting permit will be welcome to come to the park and harvest one tree anytime between 9 a.m. and 3 p.m. on Saturday, December 6.

Douglas Firs, Ponderosa Pines, Lodge Pole Pines, and Rocky Mountain Junipers will all be available for potential harvest within the southeast corner of Golden Gate Canyon State Park. The boundaries for the cut will be shown on a map in your acceptance email. Any visiting parties who do not have a permit will not be allowed to take any natural resources from the park.

Permit holders who have high-clearance, four-wheel drive vehicles with chains accessible will be allowed to drive on a limited number of service roads to find their tree. All other vehicles must be parked in a designated parking area as directed by the park’s staff and volunteers, and every vehicle must have a valid Colorado State Park Pass. All pets are welcome, provided they are kept on a leash at all times.

Chainsaws and other power tools are strictly forbidden, so all tree harvests must be completed with hand tools. Additionally, harvested trees should be no more than 15 feet tall and/or six inches in diameter, stumps should be cut within six feet of the ground, and the whole tree must be taken.

All harvests must be completed independently without assistance from park workers, but staff and volunteers will be available to answer questions at the Visitor Center and in the tree cutting area.

Golden Gate Canyon State Park is happy to be a part of the holiday season every year. "The tree-cutting tradition holds special meaning for a lot of people in Colorado,” Park Administrator Bronwyn Phillips said about the event. “It serves not only as a festive start to the holiday season but also as an important tool for the park to manage forest health and reduce fire danger.” And the park plans to provide those services to families and forests alike for many years to come. 

Rejected applicants who are still interested in harvesting a tree at Golden Gate Canyon can choose to volunteer at the park for four hours of the park’s Christmas tree cut day and receive a free tree to cut down in return. Contact Ranger Jake McCulloch at jake.mcculloch@state.co.us for more details. 

The Arapahoe, Roosevelt, White River, Pike and San Isabel National Forests also offer opportunities to harvest trees on their lands, with more information on their permits provided at https://www.fs.usda.gov/r02/arp/permits/christmas-trees.