For One Day Only, You Can Cut Your Own Christmas Tree in South Lake Tahoe
If you want to cut your own Christmas tree in the Tahoe wilderness this year, there’s only one day to do it—and it’s happening at Lake Tahoe Community College.
On Saturday, December 6, 2025, from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m., LTCC is hosting the region’s only holiday tree-cutting event, offering free permits that allow participants to harvest lodgepole pines directly from Trout Creek Meadow. The one-day event is part of a partnership with Keep Tahoe Blue and the Tahoe Regional Planning Agency to support critical meadow restoration.
This is the only opportunity in 2025 for the public to legally cut a Christmas tree in Tahoe’s wildlands. And the best part? Each tree removed actually helps the environment.
Visitors can stop by the tent at the LTCC Library, sign a liability form, pick up a free permit, and follow simple guidelines—like fully removing the tree rather than topping it and making sure stumps are cut flush to the ground.
Why Cutting a Tree Helps Tahoe
Removing young lodgepole pines from the meadow:
- Restores native wetland plants
- Boosts biodiversity
- Improves water retention and availability
- Preserves a natural fire break
- Reduces long-term wildfire risk
LTCC and its partners—including the Washoe Tribe, whose traditional ecological practices guide the restoration—are working to revitalize one of Tahoe’s most important meadow ecosystems.
By cutting your holiday tree at LTCC, you’re not just decorating your home—you’re helping restore wildlife habitat, reduce fire danger, and protect Tahoe’s natural landscape.
Plus, lodgepole pines make surprisingly great Christmas trees.
