Permits for cutting down Christmas trees in national forests, a Thanksgiving weekend tradition for many Colorado families, are now on sale.

Permits are most easily purchased through the website recreation.gov. They also can be purchased through select vendors in the mountains that have partnered with the forests.

Information and links to purchase permits online for the Arapaho and Roosevelt national forests, costing $20, can be found at recreation.gov. An information page outlining rules, locations where trees may be cut legally and tips for taking trees can be found on the Arapaho and Roosevelt National Forests website. Those forests cover the Front Range from just south of Interstate 70 to the Wyoming border. Cutting is not permitted in the Clear Creek or Boulder ranger districts.

Permits to cut in the White River National Forest, which encompasses a wide swath along Interstate 70 from Summit County to Glenwood Springs, including Summit, Eagle, Pitkin and Garfield Counties, also are available through recreation.gov. Permits to cut in that forest cost $10.

Additional information can be found on the White River website, at fs.usda.gov.

For other national forests, recreation.gov has a page where you can search by location, get the information you need and purchase permits.