How They Pick the Capitol’s Christmas Tree

Find a Forest

The US Forest Service divides the continental US into nine regions, and each year the source for the Capitol tree rotates among them. The hard part is narrowing it down to one specific forest, and this year Monongahela National Forest in West Virginia got the nod. They were told about it two years ago, allowing time to prepare.

Choose a Spruce

Monongahela has thousands of acres of trees, and it took eight months to pick the perfect conifer. The staff looked at maps, took aerial photos, and scouted on foot to narrow the options down to a handful. They were looking for trees with full branches, straight trunks, and aesthetic appeal from 360 degrees.

Break Out the Saw

Staffers used a traditional two-person crosscut saw to harvest the tree in early November. One crane lifted it, then another was attached to the bottom. The tree–a 63-foot Norway spruce, estimated to be around 37 years old–was then moved horizontally to a truck. Workers were careful to make sure the tree never touched the ground.

Head to the Capitol

The spruce is transported on a 102-foot truck–about 30 feet longer than a typical tractor-trailer. Upon reaching its destination, it’s handed to the Architect of the Capitol, which oversees the grounds. Next comes installation and decoration. After the holidays, it will be milled into lumber and donated for future use.

This article appears in the December 2023 issue of Washingtonian. 

Brooke Spach

Editorial Fellow