Maybe the folks at the U.S. Forest Service’s Medicine Wheel-Paintrock Ranger District and Wyoming Interagency Hotshots have seen the classic 1965 cartoon “A Charlie Brown Christmas” too many times.
Or maybe not enough.
Either way, there are a lot more Charlie Brown-like trees lighting up homes and offices around Big Horn County this holiday season.
That’s because the staff, rangers and Hotshots spent this past weekend harvesting trees and delivering them to those in need around the Bighorn Basin.
That included trees for the First Baptist Church, CARES Basin domestic violence center and the New Horizons Care Center in Lovell.
It’s the second year the U.S. Forest Service has donated trees, and a way for rangers and firefighters to give back to the communities they live in and love, they told Cowboy State Daily.
Tree-Mendous
The U.S. Forest Service’s Medicine Wheel District chose recipients by those who may not otherwise have had access to Christmas trees.
“We're just really glad that we can give something from the forest back to these communities,” said District Ranger Mark Foster of Greybull. “We just want to bring a little bit of joy for folks who may feel isolated.”
It was just last year that Foster learned that district rangers had the authority to donate Christmas trees. He was looking for a way to give back to those who served the region and show his appreciation for all they did.
Armed with the news that he could bring Christmas to those in need, he organized his enthusiastic staff to harvest the trees for donation.
The CARES center was grateful for the tree that they say will be a bright spot for their clients. The organization helps victims of crimes, especially those affected by domestic violence, sexual assault and stalking.
Last year was the first time CARES was able to even have a tree thanks to the donation from the Forest Service.
“We're so excited and so happy and thankful that we got the donation,” CARES Director Luz Rios said. “The boys brought it up to us on the third floor and set it up for us.”
“It's a very generous gift,” Victim Witness Coordinator Liliana Adame agreed. “They are definitely passing along the spirit of the holidays. This is a great way that we can all come together and show our community that we're all here for each other.”
The Forest Service in Greybull is looking for other organizations that would like a Christmas tree but don't otherwise have the ability or the time to be able to get one.
U.S. Forest Service staff harvesting a tree in the Bighorn National Forest, Medicine Wheel District. (Courtesy District Ranger Mark Foster) 
The Wyoming Interagency Hotshot truck and trailer after U.S. Forest Service staff had harvested trees in the Bighorn National Forest, Medicine Wheel District. (Courtesy District Ranger Mark Foster) 
The CARES Basin serves victims of violence. The staff is grateful to receive a tree from the Greybull U.S. Forest Service office. (Courtesy CARES Basin)
Creating A Healthy Forest With Christmas Tradition
According to the rangers overseeing the health of the Bighorn National Forest, cutting down Christmas trees have the added benefit of helping with forest management. They encourage those that can, to get a tree permit and enjoy the outdoors as a family.
“This is an opportunity for us to do some fuels reduction,” Foster said. “You are helping us to create a healthier forest environment, even if it's on a micro scale.”
The trees are competing for resources, and by reducing those in close quarters, it actually increases the amount of resources available to the remaining trees. They are able to grow more vigorous and respond better to drought, insects and diseases.
Tree permits are available online or at are available at the Lovell Country Store and the Big Horn Co-op in both Greybull and Worland. Different rules apply to different forests due to the tree-management needs in particular areas.
There is also an opportunity for fourth graders to obtain free permits to cut down their own Christmas through the Every Kid Outdoors pass. This is the nation-wide program that gives every fourth grader a pass to see America’s parks and historic sites for free.
“It can be a little bit bleak this time of year,” Foster said. “A real Christmas tree brings light into our homes once it's decorated and hopefully brings some good aromatics, too.”
That is true, even if the tree is a lopsided Charlie Brown tree like the one the U.S. Forest Service in Greybull adopted this holiday season.
Jackie Dorothy can be reached at jackie@cowboystatedaily.com.
