Tree cutting a holiday tradition for some New Mexicans

Nov. 26—Some say it's not the destination that matters; it's the journey.

Four days before Thanksgiving, Danielle and Allen Fugler of Santa Fe embraced this notion as they packed their 2018 Kia Sorento with a cutting saw and some rope and headed to the Pecos Wilderness to find the perfect Christmas tree.

The couple headed north on Interstate 25, exited near Pecos and followed N.M. 63 into the wilderness, winding their way through the hills and canyons of the Santa Fe National Forest.

Bucolic scenes unfolded with each curve along the hourlong drive.

"We just moved here from Florida a year ago," Danielle Fugler said. "We moved here to get away from hurricanes."

Allen Fugler stopped the car at one point so his wife could take photos of a small herd of fat mule deer crossing the road.

They passed a snow-caked rushing creek, fields of horses, towering rock wall formations, stately homesteads and the Rio Hondo Bridge, New Mexico's second-oldest highway bridge, built in 1902.

Eventually, Danielle would photograph bear tracks left in the snow.

This was the second time the Fuglers have gotten a $10 Christmas tree permit from the Santa Fe National Forest. Last year, they took their 17-year-old daughter, Sophia Saldana, and her boyfriend, Leiham Reddy, along for the adventure. The teens weren't able to join them last weekend, so the couple decided to create a more romantic journey.

"Last year, there wasn't any snow on the ground," Danielle said, adding they had stopped farther down the mountain that time to cut their tree. "It's just so beautiful here with the snow."

The couple turned onto a dirt road that narrowed its way to the top of Grass Mountain. At an elevation of 9,400 feet, they crunched through the thick snow until Allen found a thicket. There, nestled in the brush, stood the perfectly shaped Christmas tree the couple had searched for — a 9-foot blue spruce.

Clearing out thickets actually helps foresters, said Chantel Herrick, a spokeswoman for Santa Fe National Forest. Thinning out the smaller trees eases competition for resources with larger trees and helps reduce the risk of fires because thickets can fuel flames, she said.

"It actually helps give back to the forest," she said.

Permits are available online or can be purchased in person at one of seven district ranger stations. Permit holders are allowed to cut trees up to 5 inches in diameter and up to 10 feet in height in designated areas. Trees larger than 10 feet require two permits, and households have a three-tree limit.

Maps and information sheets are provided at the ranger stations, Herrick said.

Last year, she added, holiday enthusiasts removed 5,000 small trees from the woods, opening up foraging areas for wildlife.

After Allen Fugler's wife approved of their tree, he cut the spruce with Boy Scout precision, and the couple carried it back to their car.

"Coming up here is like walking into a Hallmark Christmas movie," Allen said. "The snow, the snow-capped mountains, the clean, crisp air, the piney woods, the aspen trees, the deer, the log cabins — it's magical."

The couple worked together, wrapping the tree in a tarp and tying it with rope, being careful to expose the yellow permit tag they had tied to the tree's trunk. Along the wilderness' forest roads, ranger trucks dot the landscape to keep a watchful eye that permit holders are acting within the scope of the rules.

After returning home, Danielle Fugler said, "Our thirsty little tree drank about one-third of the water in the stand reservoir and greened up really nicely."

The day of tree hunting was "a nice bonding experience," she added. "You decorate it together, and you really feel like you have a lot of ownership in this tree. And the fragrance is fantastic."

The Fuglers decided to decorate their tree before Thanksgiving.

"We got hooked on the experience the first time out," Danielle said, speaking of their trip last year. "With the cost of a Christmas tree from a big-box store, you get it home and it's a dried-up mess. But our tree last year was fresh all the way to Christmas."

Next year, she said, she'll pack a brunch of bagels, salmon and mimosas. "We might even lay under the trees, so we can appreciate the forest as we're relaxing."

Herrick cautions permit holders to come prepared for the forest's 1.6 million acres. Conditions in these mountains can change rapidly from 5,300 feet in some areas to 13,103 feet at the summit of Truchas Peak, she said.

"The day can start out sunny and end in a snowstorm," she said.

Families should also come prepared with tie-downs, a saw or an ax, water and snacks.

Allen Fugler said it helps to have an all-wheel-drive vehicle because the steep, snowpacked hills can be slippery.

"It really is like a movie set," he said. "It's almost surreal. It really is magical. This is Christmas."