The holidays are just around the corner and if you are planning to cut down your Christmas tree this year, now is the time to start thinking about the process.

Recently the USDA Forest Service announced that Christmas tree permit sales begin this week for three Arizona national forests. Consumers looking to cut down their own tree this year must apply and be granted a permit.

Christmas tree permits can be bought online starting Thursday for the Prescott, Kaibab and Apache-Sitgreaves national forests.

Next month, permits will go on sale for the Tonto and Coconino national forests. That permit time period opens on Nov. 9.

Each permit costs $15 per tree. Permits for the Prescott National Forest costs $20.

“For every tree that is found, cut and carried home as a holiday fixture, a new story is created,” USDA Forest Service Chief Randy Moore said in a press release.

“These stories become the precious memories that create traditions worth carrying on for generations and further connect families with their local forests.”

The national forests have put a limit on the number of trees allowed per customer. The Coconino, Tonto, Prescott and Apache-Sitgreaves, and national forests allow only one tree per customer. The Kaibab National Forest allows up to five trees per customer.

With permit in hands, there is a timeline that consumers must adhere to.  Trees can be cut down during the following timeline:

Apache-Sitgreaves National Forest – beginning Oct. 14
Prescott – November 1
Kaibab – November 9
Coconino – November 16
Tonto – November 20

The available time to cut down a tree at each of the national forests ends on Dec. 31.