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- Subscribe - Contact Us - Rate Card - Place an Ad Archives Revels Classifieds Real Estate Guide Weather Subscribe Contact Us December 2, 2004 Tree Time By Vickie Aldous Ashland Daily Tidings Buying a Christmas tree off a lot or putting up a plastic department-store tree is unthinkable for a group of neighbors living on Mount Ashland. Photo by Denise Baratta | Ashland Daily Tidings Christmas tree hunting on Mount Ashland and other forested areas of Southern Oregon is an annual event for many families. Instead, the neighbors pick up permits and trek into the woods to find their own special trees. "We do it as a neighborhood thing," said Jack Sutherland, who lives on the Mt. Ashland Access Road. "There are five couples of us, plus kids, who make our annual tour into the outback. We take a thermos of hot chocolate for the kids, a thermos of coffee for us and sometimes a crockpot of chili, and make a day of it." Living right next to Mount Ashland and the Rogue River National Forest, one might think the neighbors would hunt close to home. But Sutherland said while snow conditions dictate where they go, a favorite area is out Dead Indian Memorial Road near the Jackson-Klamath county line. The highway crosses into the national forest about five miles before the county line. Maria Koziol, an Ashland Ranger District information assistant, regularly sells tree permits from the district office at 645 Washington St. She said many residents go up Dead Indian Memorial Road on their tree hunts. "Mount Ashland is not so popular anymore. The trees have been picked over," Koziol observed. Other residents enjoy hunting along Forest Service Roads 2520 or 3720. Maps are available at the ranger district. The district sells tree permits for $5 during office hours on weekdays from 8 a.m. to 1 p.m. and from 2 to 4:30 p.m. The consolidated permits allow people to hunt on either U.S. Forest Service or Bureau of Land Management lands. Permits also are available in Ashland at Rite Aid, which is open on weekends. Vendors are allowed to charge an additional vendor's fee - usually about a dollar. Tree hunters should remember to take a few precautions, according to Rogue River-Siskiyou National Forest Public Affairs Officer Patty Burel. People should always leave information with someone about where they are going and when they plan to return. In addition, bring warm clothes, a first aid kit, a shovel and tire chains, she said. Taking those steps can help ensure that the trip is both enjoyable and safe. "It's a wonderful outing for folks this time of year," Burel said. "It's an opportunity to see the fall colors and have fun hunting for your Christmas tree." As to what type of tree is best, there are fans of everything from Douglas firs to ponderosa pines. Koziol said she sees many hunters who prefer Shasta red firs. "I think they like the heavier needle and the space between the branches. There's space to hang ornaments, and the heavier needle is more resistant," she said. For his part, Sutherland said he likes noble firs. "It's just the symmetry and the spacing. I'm accused of being the one who looks for the perfect tree," he said. "Even if I don't get one, I'm still happy. We just enjoy going out." DailyTidings.com Home Page Archives | Revels | Classifieds | Real Estate Guide | Weather | Subscribe | Contact Us Copyright 2005 Ashland Daily Tidings and Ottaway Newspapers All Rights Reserved Slippers Isotoner Slippers Dsw Shoes Ceramic Piggy Banks Fanny Mae Eloans Calenders 2005 Calender 2005 Accelerate Weight Loss Programs Citibank Student Loans Acs Loan Matchmaking & Dating Scripts Adventure Travel Conference Calls - $50/Month Security Systems student loan consolidation helzberg diamonds Click Here Site Search: .:Advertisements:. RESOURCES - Mail Tribune News - ODOT Road Cams