The Trump administration on Friday announced the "One Dollar, One Tree" initiative which will reduce firewood and Christmas-tree permit fees to $1, reflecting an attempt to ease holiday costs for Americans while reducing wildfire risk on public land.
The Department of the Interior initiative is being carried out by the Bureau of Land Management.
Under the plan, the bureau will open new cutting areas in previously overstocked woodlands, allowing expanded access to public land, including sites near communities, military bases, tribal areas, and rural counties that might benefit most.
The bureau also raised household allowances to allow up to 10 cords of firewood and up to three Christmas trees per household, with the possibility of lifting limits in areas with abundant resources.
Interior Secretary Doug Burgum said on X on Friday that the initiative is intended to "make Christmas affordable again," adding that this year's tree-cutting savings are a "powerful example of how our public lands can deliver lasting benefits for the American people, making this season brighter and more affordable for all!"
Officials estimate the program could deliver nearly $10 million in economic relief nationwide over the holiday season.
They also emphasize the environmental benefit: Thinning overstocked woodlands helps reduce hazardous fuel loads and lessen wildfire risk across public lands.
Supporters of the policy highlight its dual appeal: Households save on traditional holiday expenses while contributing to safer, healthier forests, a win for both budgets and land management as winter sets in.
Critics question how widely accessible the program will be to people who live outside Western states, since federally managed land is concentrated there.
The Interior Department manages about 245 million acres of public land across 12 Western states.
The structure of federal land ownership and management shows a heavy geographic concentration of federal land in Western states.
That makes a Bureau of Land Management program such as "One Dollar, One Tree" more likely to deliver widespread, practical benefits in states such as Nevada, where roughly 80% of the state's land is federally managed, and in Utah and Idaho, about 63% and 62%, respectively.
Due to low public-land density east of the Mississippi, most Eastern and Midwestern households do not have easy access to federally managed forests for Christmas tree or firewood permits.
Jim Thomas ✉
Jim Thomas is a writer based in Indiana. He holds a bachelor's degree in Political Science, a law degree from U.I.C. Law School, and has practiced law for more than 20 years.
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