Permits
Do You Need a Permit?
When DON'T You Need A Permit?
- When you are gathering limited amounts for personal use of bark, berries, boughs, bryophytes, bulbs, burls, Christmas trees, cones, ferns, forbs, fungi including mushrooms, grasses, mosses, nuts, pine straw, roots, sedges, seeds, transplants, tree sap, and wildflowers.
- When you are building a campfire on National Forest System lands you can collect a reasonable quantity of wood for the campfire without a permit.
When DO You Need A Permit?
- For collecting balsam boughs
- For cutting Christmas Trees
- Special Use Permits are required for commercial and non-commercial use of NFS lands, including:
- Easements for electrical and utility lines,
- roads
- use of roads not open to the general public for motorized use or
- use of roads/driveways across National Forest System lands to access private property
- oil and gas pipelines, wells or holding tanks, etc.
- Minerals
- commercial photography and filming
- recreation events
- commercial outfitting and guiding
Forest Product Permits
Christmas Tree Tags
Cutting your own Christmas tree can be a festive outing to begin the holiday season.
Balsam Boughs
Gathering balsam boughs to make wreaths is becoming more popular each year.
Can I Use My Snowmobile or OHV to Collect Forest Products
Check with the office issuing your holiday greens permit for more specifics regarding use of OHVs and any other restrictions in the area you plan to visit.
OHVs
Off-Highway Vehicles (OHVs), including ATVs, dirt bikes, etc. must travel on roads and trails designated for this use. OHVs are not allowed to travel cross country on national forest lands within the Superior National Forest.
Snowmobiles
Snowmobiles may be used cross country in most areas as well as on designated trails and unplowed roads provided there is 4 inches of snow cover.
Event and Commercial Permits
Events and Commercial Outfitting and Guiding
Recreation events, non-commercial group use permit, commercial outfitting and guiding
Commercial Filming and Photography
Breaking news does NOT need a commercial use permit
For All Other Permits
For all other uses that require a permit contact the local Ranger District Office where the activity will occur for assistance.