Non-Wood Forest Products
The public may harvest a range of forest products from the Medicine Bow-Routt National Forests, including firewood, plant and tree transplants, ferns, mushrooms, Christmas trees, and more. Forest product permits allow the public the opportunity to harvest for recreational and personal use. Permits enable the MBRTB to better manage these resources for future generations while serving today's public with affordable products.
For more information, select one of the products listed below and contact the ranger district office you plan to visit for office hours and permit availability. For information on Firewood Permits, click here.
Forest Products should not be collected from active timber sale areas. Please contact your local ranger district office for active timber sale information.
Standard Program Information
You may dig trees, flowers and bushes from the Medicine Bow-Routt National Forests for transplant to your yard or property, with a permit. Permits can be obtained in person at any of our ranger district offices. Permits cost $10 per tree with a $20 minimum purchase or two permits. For each permit, you may dig 1 tree, 1 bush, or 3 plants. The maximum number of permits per calendar year per household is five. The maximum height for transplants is 6 feet for evergreens and 10 feet for deciduous plants.
Trees to be transplanted must come from a stand of trees (no lone tree) such that when the tree has been removed there are additional remaining trees within 20 feet of the selected tree.
Limber pine (Pinus flexilis) and whitebark pine (Pinus albicaulis) may NOT be transplanted. These pines can be identified by needles which grow in bundles of five.
Deliberate or incidental transplant of any USFWS threatened, endangered, or candidate species or any USFS Region 2 sensitive species is PROHIBITED. Knowledge of these species is the permittee’s responsibility.
Motorized equipment such as tree spades or backhoes are not authorized for digging transplants. Only hand tools can be used. A Transplant Load Ticket must be attached to the transplant before it is dug from the ground. The permit must be signed and secured on the tree before leaving the digging site and at all times when transporting. Permittee must backfill holes created by digging transplants.
Where Can I Dig?
Most areas on our Forests are open to digging transplants. Please contact your local Ranger District for exceptions.
Restrictions:
- You must dig at least 100 feet from any road or trail.
- You may not dig transplants from or within 100 feet from any campground, picnic area, recreation residence or scenic pullout.
- Wilderness Areas, Research Natural Areas, and Special Interest Areas are closed to digging transplants.
- The Pole Mountain/Vedauwoo Area on the Laramie Ranger District and the Fish Creek Falls Recreation Area on the Hahn’s Peak-Bears Ears Ranger District are closed to digging and removing transplants.
- It is the permittee’s responsibility to ensure they are not in a restricted area.
- You may not dig within 300 yards (one-quarter mile)of the Bear River Road (FR 900), on the Yampa Ranger District.
- You may not dig within 500 feet of Wyoming Highway 130 or Wyoming Highway 70
Tips for Digging and Moving Transplants
These tried and true tips will greatly help reduce shock to your transplant and improve your chances of a successful transplant.
- Plan to dig your transplants as soon as the ground thaws, and before the new buds open.
- If you cannot dig transplants in the spring, try digging them in the fall after they have become dormant.
- Cover the root ball with wet burlap, keep the soil intact around the roots.
- Do not place trees/plants directly on the metal bed of a pickup, place cardboard boxes or plywood in the bed first.
- If transporting trees/plants a long distance, try to cover them with light colored or reflective tarp to prevent the sun and wind from drying the trees out.
- Keep the trees/plants in a cool place out of the sun until they are planted.
Tips For Planting Success
These suggestions will improve your transplant success rate tremendously!
- Dig hole at least twice as wide as the root ball, loosen the soil inside the hole. This allows for horizontal spreading of the root system.
- Place the tree gently in the hole, start refilling with topsoil, water with a premixed root stimulant or fertilizer as recommended by a local nursery.
- Fill in remainder of the hole, making sure no roots are near the surface of the ground, or the tree is planted too low in the hole. Tamp soil as you fill in to the ground level.
- Tree wells: The easiest way to water your new tree, provide good saturation, and prevent runoff, is to create a water well. This is simply mounding soil in a circle around the base of the tree, about one third larger than the root ball. this forms a barrier that prevents water from draining away before it is absorbed into the soil.
- Stake the tree, this provides support for the tree until the roots become established. Proper staking includes placing two poles outside the root ball in undisturbed soil on either side of the tree. Make sure one pole is standing in the direction of the prevailing wind path. The height of the poles should be no more than two-thirds the height of the tree. Use a flexible material for the tie. Old pieces of garden hose or carpet work well for protecting the tree where the rope comes in contact with the bark. Never tie the stake directly to the tree as this will cause deformation in the development of both the bark and trunk. Don't leave the tree staked longer than necessary, most trees can stand on their own after the first year.
- Protect from heat shock the first day with a steady slow stream of water.
- Water once a week, water in winter also if snow pack is poor. Keep foot traffic to a minimum to avoid soil compaction.
Post and Pole (POL) permits may be purchased for designated cutting areas during a calendar year. Each POL permit has a value of $10 and is good for 400 linear feet of posts, poles or teepee poles in any combination.
The minumum purchase is $20 (2 permits) per transaction.
There are no Post and Pole areas currently available. Personal use fuelwood permits may be used instead if only cutting dead timber. This may be done without the 8 foot maximum length restriction if the posts or poles are less than 9 inch diameter. For more information on fuelwood permits, including permit cost and collection limits, see Firewood Permits.
Standard Program Information
Permits are required for the harvest of herbaceous plants on the Medicine Bow and Routt National Forests. Permits are free.
Permits are valid ONLY on the Medicine Bow and Routt National Forests for the harvest of herbaceous plants. This permit is only valid for the collection of the above ground portion of herbaceous plants (flowers, leaves, stems, berries, etc.). The underground portion of herbaceous plants (roots) CANNOT be collected under this permit. Bracken fern fiddleheads and fronds CANNOT be collected under this permit.
Each Permit Tag is valid for 10 LBS of herbaceous plants. 10 LBS of herbaceous plants is approximately 5 gallons. Up to one gallon per day may be collected.
There are no load tickets issued with this permit, but permittees are required to fill out the "Product Quantity Removal Record" on the first page of the permit in ink prior to transporting products. The original signed permit must be in the permittee's possession. Collection sacks or other collection equipment must be free of weed seeds before being brought onto the National Forest.
Permits may be used anywhere on the Medicine Bow and Routt National Forests with the following exceptions:
- Harvesting of herbaceous plants is not permitted from or within 100 feet of developed areas including campgrounds, picnic areas, recreation residences and other buildings.
- Collection of herbaceous plants in the Pole Moutain/ Vedauwoo area on the Laramie Ranger District and the Fish Creek Falls area on the Hahn's Peak- Bear's Ears Ranger District are closed to herbaceous plant collection. It is the Permitee's responsibility to ensure they are not in a restricted area.
- Harvesting herbaceous plants is not permitted in Wilderness Areas, Research Natural Areas, or Special Interest Areas.
The selection and cutting of a special tree from the forest for the holidays has been a treasured tradition for generations of residents. The Medicine Bow-Routt National Forests offer personal-use Christmas Tree Permits for the cutting of a tree on Forest land. Christmas Tree Permits cost $10 per tree (limit five per household), are for personal use only (not for resale), and expire 12/31 of the year they are purchased.
Christmas Tree Program Brochure | Purchase your permit online!
(VIDEO) Christmas Tree Harvest Guide
Where can I cut my Christmas tree?
All areas on the Medicine Bow-Routt National Forests are open to harvesting Christmas trees, except for the locations listed below.
Forest-Wide Prohibitions
- Forest Roads and Trail: Do not cut trees within 100 feet of any forest road or trail.
- Developed Areas: Do not cut trees in or within 200 feet of any developed areas, including Campgrounds, Picnic Areas, Trailheads, Scenic Overlooks and Administrative Sites.
- Wilderness Areas:Christmas tree cutting is prohibited in Wilderness Areas.
- Timber Sale Areas: Christmas tree cutting is prohibited in Timber Sale areas. Do not cut any tree marked with colored paint or signs.
Specific Areas Closed to Christmas Tree Cutting
- Thunder Basin National Grassland
- Brush Creek-Hayden Ranger District
- Battle Mountain Scenic Byway: Do not cut trees within 200 feet of Battle Mountain Scenic Byway (WY Highway 70).
- Snowy Range Scenic Byway: Do not cut trees within 500 feet of Snowy Range Scenic Byway (WY Highway 130).
- Douglas Ranger District
- Joe Burney Memorial Overlook: Do not cut trees within 200 feet of Forest Road 633 from MBNF boundary south to cattle guard.
- Esterbrook Area: Christmas tree cutting is prohibited from ½ mile to 3 miles east of Esterbrook on Forest Road 633.
- Hahns Peak-Bears Ears Ranger District
- Fish Creek Falls Recreation Area: Christmas tree cutting is prohibited.
- Steamboat Ski Area: Christmas tree cutting is prohibited.
- Freeman Recreation Area: Christmas tree cutting is prohibited.
- Sherman Youth Camp: Christmas tree cutting is prohibited.
- Laramie Ranger District
- Snowy Range Scenic Byway: Do not cut trees within 500 feet of Snowy Range Scenic Byway (WY Highway 130).
- Pole Mountain/Vedauwoo: Christmas tree cutting is prohibited in the Pole Mountain/Vedauwoo Unit of the Laramie Ranger District.
- WY Highway 230: Do not cut trees within 200 feet of the highway.
- Snowy Range Ski Area: Christmas tree cutting is prohibited.
- Yampa Ranger District
- Bear River Corridor: Do not cut trees within 200 feet of Forest Road 900.
Christmas Tree Permit Regulations
- When taking a Christmas tree from the National Forest, please observe the following permit requirements. Failure to do so is a violation.
- Each permit is for one tree.
- Sales are final and non-refundable.
- A permit expires on the last day of the calendar year it was purchased.
- Attach the permit to the trunk of the tree as soon as it is cut down and before leaving the cutting area.
- Transport the tree so the permit is clearly visible from outside your vehicle.
- Don’t top trees by leaving the lower part of the tree standing. Leave a stump less than six inches and cut below the lowest live limb.
- Use boughs from the lower section of the tree you cut, NOT from other live trees.
- Do NOT cut trees greater than 20 feet in height.
- Do NOT cut trees that are more than six inches in diameter at the stump.
- Scatter any unwanted branches to lie 24” or less from the ground.
- Up to five Christmas Tree permits may be purchased by any one household in a calendar year.
Safety Suggestions
- Check with the local Forest Service office for recent site and road information.
- Park safely on a highway pullout or off of a Forest Road. Do not park where your vehicle can be hit by a falling tree.
- Check maps to be sure of your location. Cutting on private land is trespassing!
- Have a full tank of gas and use snow tires. Bring chains and a shovel.
- Stay out of the forest when there are strong winds.
- Use caution when felling your tree!
- There is no cell phone coverage in many areas of the forest, so plan accordingly.
- Dress warmly and bring food, extra water, a blanket, and a first aid kit.
Harvesting Your Christmas Tree
Choose a tree that is growing with other trees in a cluster. Leave the “perfect” trees to grow and provide for a healthy genetic source for the future forest.
Leave the site looking as undisturbed as possible and take your trash home with you.
Where does my fee go?
In 1996, Congress passed into law the Recreation Fee Demonstration Pilot Program (fee demo). The Medicine Bow-Routt National Forests have applied the fee demo program to its existing Christmas tree cutting program to provide the public with better customer service, more outlets to obtain tree permits, and improved management of tree cutting areas. Ninety-five percent of fees collected will be retained by the forest to help maintain and improve this program.
Standard Program Information
Permits are required for the harvest of bracken fern fiddleheads and fronds on the Medicine Bow and Routt National Forests. Permits tags cost $10 each, with a required minimum purchase of 2 permit tags ($20) at a time. Each individual is allowed to purchase a maximum of 5 permit tags per calendar year.
Permits are valid ONLY on the Medicine Bow and Routt National Forests for the harvest of bracken fern fiddleheads and fronds. Other fern species cannot be harvested. Digging or transplanting of ferns is not allowed under this permit.
Each Permit Tag is valid for 10 LBS of ferns. 10 LBS of ferns is approximately 5 gallons.
A validated Permit Tag must be securely attached to each collection container and be visible during harvest and transport. Collecting or transporting ferns in anything other than a container with a securely attached and validated Permit Tag is a violation of the terms and condition of the permit.
Permits may be used anywhere on the Medicine Bow and Routt National Forests with the following exceptions:
- Harvesting of ferns is not permitted from or within 100 feet of developed areas including campgrounds, picnic areas, recreation residences and other buildings.
- Harvesting is not permitted within 500 feet of the Snowy Range Scenic Byway (WY Hwy 130) and the Battle Highway Scenic Byway (WY Hwy 70). For all other Forest Roads harvest is not permitted within 100 feet.
- Harvesting ferns is not permitted in the Fish Creek Falls area.
- Harvesting ferns is not permitted in Wilderness Areas, Research Natural Areas, or Special Interest Areas.
Standard Program Information
Mushroom Permit Information Brochure in PDF format
- Permits for harvesting wild mushrooms are available at all six Medicine Bow-Routt National Forests (MBR) ranger district offices.
- Both personal and commercial-use permits are required for mushroom collection on lands managed by the MBR.
- Personal-use permits, which are free-of-charge and available on all six districts, allow permitted individuals or households to collect up to one gallon per day, or up to five gallons per calendar year.
- Commercial permits cost $20 each and allow permitted users to collect 10 gallons in one seven-day period on any of the three districts of the Medicine Bow National Forest. Commercial permits cannot be issued for households or groups, each commercial mushroom collector must hold a valid individual permit. Commercial collecting is not permitted on the three districts of the Routt National Forest.
Specific terms and conditions apply to personal and commercial-use permits. A complete list of terms and conditions will be issued with permits, and permit holders are responsible for understanding and following the terms of the permit they hold. Conditions specific to collection on the MBR are listed below.
Personal-Use Mushroom Permit Conditions
- This permit shall be carried at all times when collecting, and must be shown upon request, to a Forest Service Officer.
- Harvesting of mushrooms is prohibited in any Wilderness Area, Research Natural Area, or Special Interest Area. It is the permittee’s responsibility to ensure they are not in a restricted area. Violator will be cited.
- Harvesting is not permitted within 100 feet of any open Forest Road and 500 feet from Snowy Range Scenic Byway (Hwy 130, WY) and/or Battle Highway (Hwy 70, WY).
- Harvesting is not permitted within 100 feet of developed areas including campgrounds, picnic grounds and recreational residences.
- Cut or break the mushrooms off at ground level.
- Raking or other ground disturbing activities when collecting mushrooms is prohibited.
- Matsutake mushrooms (Tricholoma magnivelare) also commonly known as pine mushrooms, must be cut in half at the time of harvest. Mushrooms cannot be sold.
- Each household can harvest up to 1 gallon of mushrooms per day with a maximum total of 5 gallons per calendar year.
Commercial-Use Mushroom Permit Conditions
- This permit shall be carried at all times when collecting and must be shown upon request to a Forest Service Officer.
- Harvesting of mushrooms is prohibited in any Wilderness Areas, Research Natural Areas, or Special Interest Area. It is the permittee’s responsibility to ensure they are not in a restricted area. Violators will be cited.
- Harvesting is not permitted within 100 feet of any open Forest road and 500 feet from the Snowy Range Scenic Byway (Hwy 130, WY) and /or the Battle Highway (Hwy 70, WY).
- Harvesting is not permitted within 100 feet of developed areas including campgrounds, picnic grounds and recreational residences.
- Harvesting is not permitted anywhere on the Routt National Forest. Permit is only valid on the Medicine Bow National Forest only.
- All harvesters over the age of 12 will be required to hold an individual permit. Parent or guardian’s name will be included on the minor’s permit. If harvesters are under the age of 18, permit must be kept with the parent/legal guardian while collecting and transporting mushrooms.
- Cut or break the mushroom off at ground level.
- Raking or other ground disturbing activities when collecting mushrooms is prohibited.
- Harvesters will conduct themselves with civility at ALL times. Conflicts with other mushrooms harvesters, territorial actions and other disruptive behavior will result in the loss of this permit.
- Each permit is valid for the collection of up to 10 gallons of mushrooms in one 7 day period. The permit expires 7 days from the date of issue. Individuals will be permitted to purchase up to 5 charge mushrooms permits per calendar year.
There is a risk in consuming wild mushrooms! If you’re planning on eating wild mushrooms, nothing less than 100-percent positive ID will do. Some mushrooms are deadly or extremely hazardous when consumed. Some that are not deadly can nevertheless cause permanent organ damage. Poisonous mushrooms can be easily be confused with edible ones. Fungi are very diverse and it can take several years of education and experience to accurately identify mushrooms to species. It is estimated that there are over 10,000 species of mushrooms in North America alone, only 250 of which are edible. A safe and fun alternative for non-experts interested in mushroom hunting is photographing and studying mushrooms in their natural habitat.
“Have fungi. But be careful. Please.”
The following activities do not require permits, but general guidelines are in place.
- Rocks and Metal Detector Use - Limited collection of rocks and minerals for personal use is allowed on most National Forest System lands. These materials may be collected without a permit provided the collecting is for personal, hobby, and noncommercial use. Personal use includes small collections, but does not include the volume of rocks needed for projects such as at home landscaping projects or road filling.
- Excludes archeological resources including any material remains of prehistoric or historic human life or activities, which are at least 50 years old, and includes the physical site, location, or context in which they are found.
- Excludes vertebrate fossils (dinosaurs bones, fish, - anything with a backbone), and shark teeth.
- Excludes projectile points, pottery, or any other archeological resource or artifact without a permit. Projectile points include ‘arrowheads’ and any prehistoric human-modified stone.
Learn more about Mineral, Rock Collecting, and Metal Detecting on the National Forests.
For detailed information about gold panning, dredging, and mining claims, see our Gold Panning and Dredging Information pamphlet.