The Christmas spirit is in motion this year as the U.S. Capitol Christmas Tree is making its way from Nevada to the nation’s capitol. Preparations are underway to find the perfect tree.
The tree will be harvested from Nevada’s Humboldt-Toiyabe National Forest, marking the first time Nevada supplies the iconic tree. A Forest Service selection committee, along with the Capitol Architect, narrowed down potential trees.
Darby Boe, Capitol Christmas Tree team lead, shares how the process works: “We’re looking for a tree that has perfect—or as perfect as possible—conical shape. Something that is symmetrical on all sides, because this tree is going to be viewed from a 360-degree angle, so we’re looking for closed for a closed canopy that doesn’t have huge gaps in it.”
While the final individual tree hasn’t yet been chosen, transportation requires a lot of moving parts to get it across the country. After the tree is loaded onto a custom flatbed truck, it will be wrapped with protective gear and hauled cross‑country to Washington in November.
Boe added, “The U.S. Capitol Christmas Tree is actually packaged on an 80-foot trailer, so when we talk about having a tree that’s 20-30 feet wide, that trailer is only 8 feet wide. So, we actually have to hitch it and bring in those branches for transportation and packaging.”
If you’re in Nevada, you can participate by helping design personal handmade ornaments. You can drop them off at Humboldt Forest offices or mail them directly to Carson City. The deadline is September 15th.
The iconic tree will be displayed and lit up for public viewing on the West Lawn of the U.S. Capitol, during a national ceremony set for early December.
