Some like them big.
Some like them small.
Others want their Christmas trees to be downright strange, Lazy J Tree Farm owner Steve Johnson said.
“I’m amazed by what goes out of here sometimes,” said Johnson, longtime owner of the U-cut tree farm at 225 Gehrke Road between Port Angeles and Sequim.
“I’ve had some really strange trees.”
With Thanksgiving in the rearview mirror, many families have turned their attention to finding that perfect Christmas tree.
For some, part of the adventure is cutting it down with a handsaw.
Lazy J offers a variety of Christmas trees that cost $6 per foot, including tax.
Johnson provides the saw.
Most of the trees at Lazy J are noble fir or Douglas fir, with patches of Turkish fir and Sequoia dotting the 60-acre tree lot.
Most popular
Johnson said noble fir is most popular because it tends to last the longest.
“It’s the Cadillac, they say, of Christmas trees,” said Ken Nattinger, who owns Deer Park Tree Farm 4.2 miles up Deer Park Road east of Port Angeles.
“It keeps its form.”
Nattinger at 4227 Deer Park Road has Douglas, noble and grand firs as well as Scotch pines.
Deer Park Tree Farm, which is marked by a sign on the left side of the road for southbound travelers, is open from dawn to dusk seven days per week.
Nattinger’s prices are the same as Johnson’s: $6 per foot of height.
Johnson also has a “bargain field” where he occasionally sells trees at $20 each, regardless of height.
He described his U-cut operation as “community-minded and environmentally progressive” because he recycles old Christmas trees any time of the year at no cost.
Lazy J has a gift shop where Christmas wreaths, organic apples, pears, potatoes and garlic are sold.
Johnson provides Christmas trees to Boy Scout groups and business in Port Angeles, Sequim and Port Townsend.
For those living in East Jefferson County or the West End of Clallam County, the best place to fell a Christmas tree is Olympic National Forest.
National forest permits
Permits to allow cutting of Christmas trees in the forest are available at offices in Forks, Brinnon, Quilcene and Quinault.
The permits cost $5 each — payable by cash or check only — and can be purchased during regular business hours Mondays through Fridays, with special weekend hours at some locations.
Each permit allows the holder to cut one tree from the forest.
Permits must be purchased from the district offices for the area where the tree will be cut.
Maps and information about cutting locations will be provided with each sale.
Permits can be purchased at:
■ Hood Canal Ranger District Office in Quilcene at 295142 U.S. Highway 101.
The office is open from 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Mondays through Fridays and will also be open from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Saturdays and Sundays from this Sunday through Dec. 18.
The mailing address is P.O. Box 280, Quilcene, WA 98376. For more information, phone 360-765-2200.
■ Pacific Ranger District Office in Quinault at 353 S. Shore Road.
The office is open from 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Mondays through Fridays and is closed on holidays.
The mailing address is P.O. Box 9, Quinault, WA 98575. For more information, phone 360-288-2525.
■ Forks Transit Center Visitor Information Center, 551 S. Forks Ave., which is also U.S. Highway 101, on the south end of Forks.
The office — not to be confused with the Forks Chamber of Commerce Visitor Center — is open between 10 a.m. and 4 p.m. Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays.
For more information, phone 360-374-7566.
■ The Brinnon Visitor Center near the Bayshore Motel at 306142 U.S. Highway 101 is selling a limited number of Christmas tree permits.
Vendors can purchase permits there.
The phone number is 360-796-4350.
Permits also can be purchased at the Olympic National Forest headquarters in Olympia.
The office is at 835 Black Lake Blvd. S.W. and is open from 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Mondays through Fridays.
For more information, phone 360-956-2402.
Mail-order permits are available from the Olympia, Quilcene and Quinault offices.
Make $5 checks payable to the Forest Service and send to the district office for the area where the tree will be cut.
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Reporter Rob Ollikainen can be reached at 360-417-3537 or at rob.ollikainen@peninsuladailynews.com.
