Haywood County tree chosen for U.S. Capitol: tree en route from Haywood to D.C.
Nov. 2—A tree hailing from the high-elevation spruce-fir forests of Haywood County will soon be en route to Washington, D.C., to adorn the lawn of the U.S. Capitol for Christmas.
This year was North Carolina's turn to send the tree for the Capitol, but the exact location of the tree was kept a secret until Wednesday morning. The tree isn't chosen from a Christmas tree farm, but instead comes from the wilds of the national forest.
Forest rangers spent the summer scouting one million acres of the Pisgah and Nantahala national forests for the perfect tree, and found it right here in Haywood County. The 78-foot red spruce has been nicknamed "Ruby."
Specifically, "Ruby" grew up in the Black Balsam and Shining Rock area at the top of N.C 215, just before Blue Ridge Parkway.
The location was announced to media, but was embargoed for public disclosure until a tree cutting ceremony held at 11 a.m. Wednesday morning. Media and dignitaries gathered along N.C. 215, which was barricaded to traffic above Lake Logan.
After the tree cutting ceremony, the tree was lifted by crane onto a giant truck to be hauled to D.C. Ruby will make stops along the way for public viewing during a 14-day journey.
The first tour stop here in WNC to view the tree will be from 3-5 p.m. Saturday, Nov. 5, at the Western North Carolina Agricultural Center. For a complete list of times and stops, visit www.uscapitolchristmastree.com.
Affectionately known as "The People's Tree," the Capitol tree is selected from a different national forest around the country each year, a tradition that began in 1970.
North Carolina's turn rolls around every 24 years, which happened previously in 1998 and 1974.
The 1998 tree was a 50-foot Frazer fir from Roan Mountain. The 1974 tree was 41-foot Fraser fir from the Pisgah National Forest.
Last year's Capitol Tree — an 84-foot-tall white fir — came from Six Rivers National Forest in Northern California. In 2020, it was a 55-foot-tall Engelmann spruce from Colorado, which was on the short side of what's preferred.
The size of the Capitol tree has inched up over the years. Back in the 1970s and 1980s, the Capitol tree averaged 40 to 50 feet tall. The average is now in the 70-foot range, with several trees over the past decade topping 80 feet. Montana holds the record with an 89-foot tree.
The tree's route won't be announced until early fall, and is dependent in part on where the chosen tree is located. The lighting of the tree is held the week after Thanksgiving.
The national forests in North Carolina are capitalizing on the hype around the Christmas tree with a campaign to connect people to North Carolina's public lands. The theme of the fanfare around the tree is "From the Mountains to the Sea."
"Our theme of 'From the Mountains to the Sea' represents the incredible diversity of North Carolina's natural and cultural heritage," said James Melonas, forest supervisor of the national forests in North Carolina. "Our history is just as diverse and deeply rooted—we are the birthplace of scientific forestry in America, the home of the first tract of land purchased to create the national forests in the Eastern U.S., and within one of the oldest mountain ranges in the world."
To learn more about sponsorship opportunities, contact bruce@chooseoutdoors.org.
