‘People’s Tree’ will travel nearly 2,000 miles from Minnesota to U.S. Capitol
‘People’s Tree’ will travel nearly 2,000 miles from Minnesota to U.S. Capitol
For the past 50 years, a fresh Christmas tree has been displayed on the west front lawn of the U.S. Capitol in Washington, DC, during the holiday season. The U.S. Forest Service, in partnership with Choose Outdoors and the Leech Lake Band of Ojibwe, will bring a whopping 80-foot-plus white spruce from the Chippewa National Forest in Minnesota to Washington, DC, for the 2014 season, it was announced in a news release.
The search for the Capitol Christmas Tree began earlier this year. Necessary criteria included a tree of 60 feet to 80 feet in size, a full pyramid-like shape with healthy branches, a straight trunk and without gaps, and a species that is hardy enough to withstand transport to Washington, DC. Speaker John A. Boehner, R-Ohio, announced in August that the North Star State’s Chippewa National Forest would provide the Capitol Christmas tree this year.
“This annual tradition provides the opportunity for communities to celebrate the spirit of the season and the forests that connect us all,” said Darla Lenz, forest supervisor at the Chippewa National Forest. “It is truly an honor that the Chippewa National Forest was selected to provide this year’s U.S. Capitol Christmas Tree and we are extremely proud to share a tree that represents Minnesota’s natural resources.”
The tree will be cut during a public ceremony Wednesday, Oct. 29, and will then be moved to Bemidji State University where it will be wrapped and prepared for its cross-country journey. From there, the tree will stop at schools, hospitals, state capitols, city halls and military bases, visiting nearly 30 communities along the route.
Seventy companion trees will be provided by the Minnesota Tree Growers Association to decorate the inside of the U.S. Capitol building and other sites throughout Washington, DC, the release stated, along with 10,000 ornaments created by children and others from Minnesota communities as a gift from the “Land of 10,000 Lakes.”
“The People’s Tree” tradition was started in 1964 by then-Speaker John McCormack, D-Mass. His tree lived for three years on the Capitol lawn before succumbing to wind and root damage. In 1970, the architect of the Capitol tasked the U.S. Forest Service with providing a Christmas tree, according to the release. Since then, a different national forest has been chosen each year to provide the tree.
Speaker Boehner will host a tree-lighting ceremony in early December, alongside one young Minnesotan who will win a free trip to Washington, and it will be broadcast on C-SPAN.
