From NC to DC: Capitol Christmas tree harvested from Pisgah National Forest

By Rex Hodge

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    HAYWOOD COUNTY, North Carolina (WLOS) — Each Christmas, a tree from one of America’s national forests is chosen to stand in front of the U.S. Capitol. The honor this year goes to the Pisgah National Forest.

Removing the 78-foot red spruce Wednesday took a lot of careful planning and coordination.

First, the choice had to be made. The U.S. Capitol architect narrowed options down to the Pisgah National Forest.

“He made his pick,” says Matt Eldridge, timber sale administrator with the U.S. Forest Service. “Ruby, the red spruce and the scientific name is Picea rubens.”

He says harvesting takes more than a chain saw.

“That crane is going to lift it,” Eldridge says. “The other crane is going to hook to it till we get it horizontal, gently lowering it onto that truck.”

Fellow U.S. Forest Service timber sale administrator Rodney Smith had the honors of handling the chain saw, admitting he was a bit nervous.

“A little bit, which I would hope would be acceptable,” he said

First, workers had to hook up the crane’s rigging to the top of the tree.

Smith and his Forest Service crew worked at the base. He made what’s called a B-cut — sawing about halfway on one side.

“Come to the other side and cut in about half that distance, pop another wedge in for support,” Smith said.

The plan wasn’t to drop the tree, but free it, so the crane could lift it away. Bluetooth connections kept everyone in communication.

“I’ll let them know when I’m making the final cut and basically say, ‘crane operator, she’s all yours’,” said Smith.

All the planning paid off perfectly and was music to all interested parties.

“Where we’re at is ancestral Cherokee homeland,” says Joey Owle, Cherokee secretary of agriculture and natural resources. “We are able to partner with the Forest Service with this mutual respect.”

There was appreciation of a major sponsor adding an element to the big tree.

“There’s a companion truck that’s going to follow the tree up on its route and deliver some Christmas trees to some of our military families at Joint Base Andrews,” said Ryan Adair with 84 Lumber in Asheville.

It all adds up to this year’s U.S. Capitol Christmas tree arriving in Washington soon.

“She’ll be decorated with thousands of ornaments, hand-made by North Carolinians all across the state,” says the U.S. Forest Service’s Lorie Stroup.

From here, the tree is loaded onto the truck. It will travel across North Carolina for two weeks and arrive on the west lawn of the U.S. Capitol on Nov. 18.

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