Christmas in July in Wonderful West Virginia

The Architect of the Capitol (AOC) is responsible for selecting the Christmas tree that adorns the West Lawn of the U.S. Capitol each holiday season. To accomplish this task, I, as Director of Capitol Grounds and Arboretum, work with the U.S. Forest Service (USFS) to find the perfect tree, and a small army of AOC employees to support the effort to showcase the Capitol Christmas Tree and inspire our visitors from all over the world.

The process starts at least a year in advance of Christmas. The USFS works internally to select a forest region and a national forest from which the tree will be sourced. The regions and forests vary with resource availability. Once a forest is selected, representatives from the selected forest will meet with the AOC team to discuss logistics and specifications. This year, the tree will come from the Monongahela National Forest in West Virginia.

Vast views of beauty at the Mon.

Affectionately known as the "Mon," the Monongahela National Forest encompasses nearly 1,000,000 acres of land over 10 counties and rises to an elevation of nearly one mile above sea level. The broad acreage and elevation make this one of the most ecologically diverse areas in the United States. The USFS chose the theme "Endlessly Wild & Wonderful" to represent this year's Capitol Christmas Tree program, which harnesses the beauty of the land and is a play on the commonly used "Wild & Wonderful West Virginia" motto.

The USFS has spent the past six months scouring the Mon to find roughly 12 candidate trees that meet the required specifications to be considered high enough quality to be "The People's Tree." The tree is viewed from 360 degrees and cannot have a bad side. It must be full, lush and at least 70 feet tall and 25 feet wide. It must be healthy and located in an area that is accessible via crane and an 85-foot tractor trailer. The branches must also be strong enough to support the thousands of handmade ornaments that will adorn the tree, but flexible enough to not break during packing and travel. In other words, the Capitol Christmas Tree must be perfect to fit the landscape of the U.S. Capitol.

Careful notes and close inspections are performed to ensure the best tree is selected from this wonderful national forest.

As I start my journey to the Mon, I feel like I should be humming a Christmas song but the lyrics I have going through my head are "Country roads, take me home, To the place I belong, West Virginia, mountain mama..." Now, I am sure you can’t stop thinking of that song as you finish reading this blog!

Since the forest area is so vast, we take several days to visit each of the candidate trees. Traveling both north and south, I am awestruck by the beauty of our public lands. After all, this is the purpose of the Capitol Christmas Tree — for people from all over the country to connect to public lands and recognize the many benefits our lands provide, in addition to celebrating the season. 

After hiking and exploring all areas of the Mon, I have to make my decision, which is always a stressful one. The tree has to be perfect to make the journey from the forest to Washington, D.C., to be displayed properly, to represent West Virginia and the USFS, and it certainly has to be perfect for the U.S. Capitol. The choice is tough but I have my eyes set on two trees. I select them both in case an emergency arises that would prevent harvesting the chosen tree.

Our national forests are vast and wonderful, providing a wealth of resources including recreation, managed logging and conservation.

The chosen tree is a beautiful 63-foot Norway spruce from the Greenbrier Ranger District. Wild and wonderful West Virginia did not disappoint and the Mon will be proudly represented this holiday season. The USFS will harvest the tree in late October and then the tree will go on a whistle stop tour on its way to Washington, D.C. The tour ends at Joint Base Andrews, Maryland, where the tree will be prepared for its final stop at the U.S. Capitol.

It is at this point that the AOC team really gets to work. The Capitol Grounds and Arboretum team will work to hoist the tree and get it in perfect position. In a matter of days, thousands of lights will be strung and ornaments hung. The people of West Virginia have a special connection to this year's tree and will be represented in the thousands of ornaments handcrafted by various communities highlighting all the state has to offer. Expect to see butterflies, flowers, trees and other wonderful ornaments unique to the Appalachia region. The AOC's high voltage team will ensure the lights are working and the events crews will work with congressional staff to make sure the lighting ceremony is a success.

The Capitol Christmas Tree shows the AOC at its best — operating as one team, dedicated to one mission!