DC tree will come from NV

It was an unusually balmy day in Washington, D.C. when I learned that the holiday tree that will stand proudly on the western lawn of the U.S. Capitol in 2025 will come from the state of Nevada.

Not long after stepping up to the editor position of the Pahrump Valley Times, my husband and I traveled east to enjoy the “sites and lights” on a seasonal trip to our nation’s capital.

Christmas trees of all shapes, sizes and colors dotted every corner of the D.C. streets.

At the White House Ellipse, a festive red spruce from Virginia, decorated with neon green lights, towered 35 feet tall, surrounded by 58 smaller traditional trees representing all 50 states, plus territories and tribal schools.

Across the street and heading east from the White House, Willard Intercontinental boasted a soaring 18-foot tree with gold- and silver-themed ornaments.

Figuratively known as the “Residence of Presidents” because every president since Franklin Pierce has either stayed at or attended an event there, Willard Intercontinental nestles into both past and present as a stalwart of American history.

My favorite anecdote: President Ulysses S. Grant frequented the hotel as a respite from the commotion of the White House, restfully enjoying his evening whiskey and cigar, yet was still badgered for favors by people who camped out in the hotel. Grant called these pesters “lobbyists.”

As we traveled these streets filled with historic nooks and crannies, we’d peer inside banks, department stores, metro stops and restaurants, counting the decorated trees.

We missed out on seeing the Supreme Court’s tree. Upon our arrival, the first floor was closed to visitors, due to a “company event” which we surmised was the judicial Christmas party, owing to the festive music heard echoing through these historic chambers.

A short walk south on 1st Street, the Library of Congress’ tree stood decorated with books representing various states (although we could not catch a glimpse of any book from Nevada).

From there, we headed across the street to the Capitol for a guided tour, a sit-in at the House of Representatives gallery and downstairs to the Exhibition Hall.

Oh, what’s this, on the schedule? A curator talk with an arborist about the Capitol Christmas tree? Ten minutes from now? Perfect!

Harper Scott Martin, an arborist at the Architect of the Capitol (AOC) since 2022, spoke of the selection of the trees — three in total, just in case one (or two) is damaged or falls short in some way, perhaps an infestation of mites or a lightning strike. In 2024, the tree came from Alaska, he explained.

Jim Kaufmann, director of the Capitol Grounds and Arboretum, further describes the selection of the Alaskan tree in 2024: “The tree must be full and cannot have any flaws such as a crooked trunk or excessive bare areas. Just like selecting a tree for your home, we look for the perfect tree. Unlike in a home, we cannot hide imperfections by placing the tree in a corner.”

Usually they chop the tree for transport but because Alaska is so very distant from D.C., that year they decided to dig up the roots.

Historically, the tree is placed on a flat-bed truck and hauled across the country on its way to the Capitol. But in remote Alaska, logistics required that the tree be helicoptered to a barge, floated to a train, traveled inland, and then placed on the truck.

The AOC explains: “Each year, the selected Christmas tree is placed on an 80-foot extended trailer and makes whistle stop tours on its journey from the forest to Washington, D.C. These stops allow people all across the country a chance to celebrate the tree and recognize the state and local national forest of origin.”

Once the Alaskan tree arrived in D.C., arborist Martin described how his team removed the lower branches, poured concrete into the space and centered the tree, which was then trussed and fortified with those removed branches. Only then were the ornaments placed.

He continued, “Next year’s tree will come from Nevada.” Our jaws dropped; did he really say that? Right place, right time to hear the good news. We couldn’t help but howl with pride and excitement and get a “right on!” from other attendees of the lecture. How proud we were to represent Nevada at this small gathering.

Next, we headed outside to the West Front Lawn to see the tree for ourselves. What a sight!

An 80-foot Sitka spruce from Tongass National Forest in Alaska stood majestically on the lawn. We ventured closer to see the variety of ornaments decorating its branches.

Upon our arrival to D.C. three days prior, we were bundled in coats and gloves, yet still freezing as we crossed from the U.S. Navy Memorial Plaza to the National Archives.

Four days later, we picnicked in the 70-degree sunshine on the Capitol Lawn, kicking our shoes off to enjoy the Christmas Tree display, backdropped with scaffolding readying for the January 2025 Inauguration ceremony.

That day, bursting with patriotism and inspiration, I envisioned a printed newspaper series to guide our readers through the tree’s path of selection, harvest, transport, reception, installation and decoration to stand proudly as “The People’s Tree” on the Capitol Lawn in 2025.

As our NV tree journeys on its way to light up D.C., we invite you to follow along with western pride, wonder and awe of this historic tradition. Look for coverage over the next six months in the Pahrump Valley Times.

Jessica Sterling is editor of the Pahrump Valley Times.