CONWAY, N.H. (AP) – Hiker paradise or giant Christmas tree farm?

The White Mountain National Forest offers a bit of both this holiday season. Those willing to trek into the snowy woods have 796,000 acres from which to pick a tree. The cost for a permit from the U.S. Forest Service is $5.

“A lot of people just love being in the forest,” said Susan Spruce Eland, conservation and visitor education specialist for the U.S. Forest Service in Conway.

It’s not the easiest way to get a Christmas tree but it can be a rewarding experience, Eland said. “If you go to a tree farm or by the side of the road, it’s easy, but it’s so much fun to be out in the forest getting your own tree,” she said.

Only one tree per family is allowed. Tree hunters must leave chain saws behind and rely on hand tools to cut down their trees. No trees can be cut within 100 feet of a highway, or near campgrounds, picnic areas or experimental forests.

A list of rules is provided along with the permit, which can be bought at district offices including those in Conway, Gorham, Plymouth, Bethlehem and Bethel, Maine.

This is the only time of year the forest service allows public cutting of trees. Eland said that in recent years, about 400 to 500 permits have been sold.

Permit holders can cut down larger trees and harvest just the tops to take home, but the forest services asks that any stumps left behind be no more than 10 inches high.

Though it may seem like a waste to cut a 15-foot tree for the top 6 feet, Eland said the process is good for the forest ecology. Permits also are available for $10 to take up to five cords of wood for personal use.

Colleen Mainville, public affairs officer at the White Mountain National Forest headquarters in Laconia, warned that picking a perfect tree isn’t as easy as grabbing one from a street corner lot or cutting one at a tree farm.

“Keep in mind that a wild tree may not have the perfect appearance of a commercial tree. Be prepared to do some real searching,” said Mainville, who counsels patience. “Somewhere out there is your ideal Christmas tree.”