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Capitol Christmas Tree hails from Kootenai
National Forest |
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October 31, 2017 |
The Christmas tree that will soon light up the West Lawn
of the U.S. Capitol this Christmas season comes
from Lincoln County and the beautiful Three Rivers Ranger District,
Troy, Montana.
The Kootenai National Forest was selected to
provide this special gift from Montana to
Washington, D.C. for the 2017 season. This is
the second U.S. Capitol Christmas tree to come
from the Kootenai National Forest. The Kootenai
provided the Capitol Christmas tree in 1989.
In July, Superintendent of the Capitol Grounds
Ted Bechtol and his staff visited the forest and
inspected a half a dozen or so candidate trees.
After careful consideration, he made his
selection. It is a 79 foot tall Engelmann Spruce
that is located at the Upper Ford administrative
site on the Three Rivers Ranger District in
Troy.
With the selection and location of the tree
known, Forest Service Law Enforcement Officer’s
will provide 24-hour security of the tree until
it is harvested.
There are a few activities and events being
planned for the 2017 Capitol Christmas tree
celebration. Tuesday, November 7, will be open
for the public to come view the tree and take
pictures. Refreshments will be provided.
Wednesday, November 8 will be a closed event
where the tree will be cut, as space and safety
concerns are paramount. Drone footage of the
tree cutting will be uploaded to Facebook and
provided to the media.
The tree will be escorted from the Yaak through
the cities of Troy and Libby so the people can
see the tree which will adorn the U.S. Capitol
grounds this holiday season. The tree will then
be stored in Libby and prepped for the almost
3,000-mile trip, which includes a series of
community celebrations and culminates with the
official tree lighting in early December.
Tour dates in the region include Monday,
November 13, in Eureka and Whitefish, Tuesday,
November 14 in Libby, Troy and Trout Creek, and
Wednesday, November 15, in Thompson Falls.
“This is an honor for the Kootenai Forest to
provide the Christmas tree for the Nation,” said
Kootenai National Forest Supervisor Christopher
Savage. “We’ll look to provide employees and
partners to engage in activities and events for
the Capitol Christmas tree preparation.”
The Forest Service has partnered with nonprofit
Choose Outdoors on the Capitol Christmas tree
project.
For tour information, event details, news and
updates, and to track the tree cross-country,
visit
https://www.facbook.com/kootenainf or
www.capitolchristmastree.com. |
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