Courtesy/BLM

BLM News:

SANTA FE — Bureau of Land Management (BLM) offices will begin selling personal Christmas tree permits for harvest of piñon and juniper.

Permits will be available beginning Nov. 20 for the Farmington, Rio Puerco and Socorro Field Offices and Nov. 27 for the Taos Field Office. The permits must be purchased before Dec. 24. The cost per tree is $5. Permits and maps may be obtained over the counter at your local BLM Office or online for some locations at forestproducts.blm.gov.

If purchasing online, you must have access to a printer for printing the permit and map. When transporting a tree taken from BLM public land, the haul tag provided with the permit must be attached to the tree. The BLM has developed georeferenced maps compatible with any georeferenced map mobile application. If you have a smart phone and would like to download a map before heading out to harvest a tree, visit the following website for instructions on how to download the application: https://www.blm.gov/maps/georeferenced-PDFs.

Before you visit your local BLM office to obtain a permit, call that office to confirm services and availability of staff.

Below are the locations where the permits may be available:

• Rio Puerco Field Office
  100 Sun Ave., NE, Suite 330
  Albuquerque, NM 87109
  505.761.8700
• Socorro Field Office
  901 S. Old U.S. Hwy 85
  Socorro, NM 87801
  575.835.0412
• Farmington Field Office
  6251 College Blvd
  Farmington, NM 87402
  505.564.7600
• Taos Field Office
  1024 Paseo del Pueblo Sur
  Taos, NM 87571-5983
  575.758.8851

For more information about Christmas tree permits, contact your local BLM office or the BLM New Mexico State Office at 505.954.2222.