Author Topic: National Christmas Tree (Read 3250 times)

Chuck White · « **on:** December 06, 2012, 07:07:08 PM »

Every year for the past "I don't know how many years" we have brought the National Christmas Tree, usually from the West or MidWest to Washington DC at a cost of many thousands of dollars every year.

Just wondering WHY we don't just transplant a large tree in DC instead of putting up a cut tree.

How much money would we (the country) save by doing this!

Any guesses?

Magicman · « **Reply #1 on:** December 06, 2012, 07:46:55 PM »

Chuck, you would never ever make a politician.

bill m · « **Reply #2 on:** December 06, 2012, 07:47:50 PM »

Now why would anyone in government want to save the tax payers any money?

red · « **Reply #3 on:** December 06, 2012, 07:57:33 PM »

NYC Rockefeller Center 80 ft Norway Spruce was Donated then gets sawed for Habitat Homes

Jeff · « **Reply #4 on:** December 06, 2012, 08:12:39 PM »

Ron Scott and I have both been part of the Capital Christmas Tree program may years apart, and I could not disagree more. Being involved in this project was one of the high-lights of my life. There is an amazing amount of opportunity to educate an unknowing public about Forestry and its sustainability. I'm proud to have been on the planning board, and on the educational committee specifically, for the "Tree of Hope." The first tree of this millennium that came from the Ottawa National Forest and to stand in From of our Nations capital.

This took place when the Forum was young, and put us on the map with the Forest Service and many other agencies. It is one of the things that the Forestry Forum and its members can hang their hat on and say "We were part of that!" Search "Tree of hope" (include the quotes} on the forum and you should find all kinds of things. This time of year I always wax nostalgic about that year. More so than any other Christmas.

Much of the project is funded by private funding and donations and countless hours of work and planning by hundreds of volunteers.

Ianab · « **Reply #5 on:** December 06, 2012, 10:05:32 PM »

I suspect getting a good looking conifer to stay alive in an urban environment like that might cost more than simply trucking one in each year....

Ian

bill m · « **Reply #6 on:** December 06, 2012, 10:09:52 PM »

[quote author=Jeff link=topic=62351.msg920348#msg920348 date=135484275

Much of the project is funded by private funding and donations and countless hours of work and planning by hundreds of volunteers.
[/quote]
Thank you Jeff, I did not know this.

Magicman · « **Reply #7 on:** December 06, 2012, 10:17:53 PM »

Our state tree is provided by the Mississippi Forestry Ass'n. Our MFA Executive VP is a many times customer of mine and he personally felled and hauled the tree to our state capitol today.

Jeff · « **Reply #8 on:** December 06, 2012, 10:30:02 PM »

The year we did the Capital tree we also provided a bunch of others including the one that went to the supreme court. Member Stamp negotiated the acquisition of that tree from a DNR Field office in Sanford Michigan that had overgrown its location and was blocking a sidewalk. It was going to get cut down any That tree was so bushy it rolled rather than fell. I wrote an account of the cutting of the capital tree that was in several papers including the Michigan Tree Farm system magazine.

Chuck White · « **Reply #9 on:** December 07, 2012, 03:43:39 PM »

Hmmm! Never thought of it that way!

Good info!

Ron Scott · « **Reply #10 on:** December 07, 2012, 11:34:56 PM »

There are two significant trees, one is the National Christmas Tree at the White House with the 50 plus trees around it, one for each state etc, making up the Pathway of Peace, and then there is the Captol Christmas Tree which is placed on the lawn of the Nation's Capitol. The Capitol Tree has been provided from a National Forest since 1970.

I was responsible for providing the Bicentennial Christmas Tree for the Nation's Capital in 1976 from the Gauley Ranger District of the Monongahela National Forest. This was the year of the Nation's 200th Birthday and the yeqr of the National Forest Management Act (NFMA) as a result of the clearcutting controversy on the Monongahela National Forest.

Natural trees have been tried, but have become failures for various reasons over time. There is often confusion amoung the public between the two significant trees. Their history may be of interest.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/National_Christmas_Tree_(United_States)

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Capitol_Christmas_Tree

Ron Scott · « **Reply #11 on:** October 31, 2015, 12:11:49 PM »

2015 Capitol Christmas Tree begins journey to D.C.

More than 30 sponsors and community members from Southcentral Alaska witnessed the cutting of the 2015 Capitol Christmas Tree, Oct. 27. At the cutting ceremony, Regional Forester Beth Pendleton expressed how proud she is of Chugach National Forest employees for providing the tree this year, and a Kenaitze tribal elder gave a blessing as a bald eagle spontaneously spiraled overhead. The tree, a74-foot Lutz spruce, will start its journey by ship from Anchorage to Tacoma, Washington, Nov. 2, it will then travel by truck from Washington State to Washington, D.C., with nine stops along the way.

The Chief's Notes

Chuck White · « **Reply #12 on:** October 31, 2015, 04:23:05 PM »

Good to hear, gets a lot of publicity from all directions!

I've been in the Chugach National Forest, huge!

http://www.fs.usda.gov/chugach

Magicman · « **Reply #13 on:** October 31, 2015, 04:43:39 PM »

Pat and I are planning to go back to the Chugach next year.

Rocky_Ranger · « **Reply #14 on:** October 31, 2015, 09:04:52 PM »

The National Christmas tree in 2009 was from Arizona and the Apache-Sitgreaves NF. In 2011, the Wallow fire torched that entire area from where the tree was cut and the stump was charred from the fire. Made it by about 18 months.......

samandothers · « **Reply #15 on:** October 31, 2015, 09:23:34 PM »

MM you are the traveling man. I recon that makes Pat the traveling WOman!

AK Newbie · « **Reply #16 on:** October 31, 2015, 09:42:21 PM »

So yesterday I had an awesome opportunity to see the National Christmas tree which was recently harvested from Seward, Alaska! The tree was on display at our new Cabelas here in Anchorage. I met the crew who will be traveling with the tree all the way to Washington DC! It leaves on a boat Monday morning. Then on to Seattle where it will be driven cross country. I met the driver and he shared a picture of the special tractor they will pick up in Seattle. He was a very nice gent! Check out the pics! I even got to write a message on the side of the shipping container, so look for it if the tree visits your neck of the woods on its way back east!

Kbeitz · « **Reply #17 on:** November 01, 2015, 07:33:58 AM »

I'm proud to say that the Christmas tree sometime in the seventys for the White House came from my farm that was then my Dads farm. We had a 100 acre Christmas tree farm. It was a colorado blue spruce. We no longer farm Christmas trees.

red · « **Reply #18 on:** November 12, 2017, 08:01:22 AM »

It's that time of year. NYC just received a Spruce Tree from Penn State College . It arrived at Rockerfeller Center yesterday .

red · « **Reply #19 on:** November 12, 2017, 03:34:44 PM »

www.thenationaltree.org

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Author Topic: National Christmas Tree (Read 3250 times)

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