Capitol Christmas Tree

The regular practice of displaying a Christmas tree on the Capitol Grounds is relatively recent. Correspondence of 1919 in the records of the Architect of the Capitol indicates that a Christmas tree was purchased that year. However, it was not until 1964 that a definite procedure was initiated and a tree-lighting ceremony established.

In 1964, House Speaker John W. McCormack suggested to J. George Stewart, Architect of the Capitol, that a Christmas tree be placed on the Capitol Grounds. A live 24-foot Douglas fir was purchased for $700 from Buddies Nurseries of Birdsboro, Pennsylvania, and was planted on the West Front lawn. Each year through 1967 this tree was decorated and a tree-lighting ceremony was held.

Unfortunately, a combination of factors, including a severe wind storm in the spring of 1967 and root damage, caused the tree to die in 1968; it was removed in the same year. The 1968 Christmas tree was made from two white pines from Finksburg, Maryland, and was 30 feet tall; the 1969 tree was a 40-foot white pine from Westminster, Maryland.

The United States Department of Agriculture Forest Service has provided the trees since 1970. Information about individual trees is listed below.

Year	Tree	Height	Source
1970	Norway Spruce	40 feet	Monongahela National Forest, West Virginia
1971	Black Spruce	45 feet	White Mountain National Forest, New Hampshire
1972	Balsam Fir	50 feet	Tennessee National Forest, Pennsylvania
1973	White Spruce	51 feet	Allegheny National Forest, Pennsylvania
1974	Fraser Fir	41 feet	Pisgah National Forest, North Carolina
1975	Balsam Fir	41 feet	Ottawa National Forest, Michigan
1976	Red Spruce	41 feet	Monongahela National Forest, West Virginia
1977	White Spruce	52 feet	Nemadji State Forest, Minnesota
1978	Norway Spruce	60 feet	Savage River State Forest, Maryland
1979	White Spruce	52 feet	Nicolet National Forest, Wisconsin
1980	White Spruce	48 feet	Green Mountain National Forest, Vermont
1981	White Spruce	50 feet	Hiawatha National Forest, Michigan
1982	Balsam Fir	50 feet	Riley Bostwich Wildlife Management Area, Vermont
1983	White Spruce	52 feet	Chequamegon National Forest, Wisconsin
1984	White Spruce	58 feet	Superior National Forest, Minnesota
1985	White Spruce	56 feet	Ottawa National Forest, Michigan
1986	Shasta Red Fir	54 feet	Klamath National Forest, California
1987	Norway Spruce	60 feet	Wayne-Hoosier National Forest, Ohio
1988	Balsam Fir	50 feet	Manistee National Forest, Michigan
1989	Engelmann Spruce	60 feet	Kootenai National Forest, Montana
1990	Engelmann Spruce	65 feet	Routt National Forest, Colorado
1991	Blue Spruce (live)	60 feet	Carson National Forest, New Mexico
1992	White Spruce	62 feet	Chippewa National Forest, Minnesota
1993	White Fir	65 feet	San Bernardino National Forest, California
1994	Balsam Fir	58 feet	Green Mountain National Forest, Vermont
1995	Douglas Fir	60 feet	Plumas National Forest, California
1996	Engelmann Spruce	75 feet	Manti-LaSal National Forest, Utah
1997	Black Hills Spruce	63 feet	Black Hills National Forest, South Dakota
1998	Fraser Fir	50 feet	Pisgah National Forest, North Carolina
1999	White Spruce	60 feet	Nicolet National Forest, Wisconsin
2000	Colorado Blue Spruce	65 feet	Pike National Forest, Colorado
2001	White Spruce	72 feet	Ottawa National Forest, Michigan
2002	Douglas Fir	70 feet	Umpqua National Forest, Oregon
2003	Engelmann Spruce	70 feet	Boise National Forest, Idaho
2004	Red Spruce	65 feet	George Washington and Jefferson National Forest, Virginia
2005	Engelmann Spruce	65 feet	Santa Fe National Forest, New Mexico
2006	Pacific Silver Fir	65 feet	Olympic National Forest, Washington
2007	Balsam Fir	55 feet	Green Mountain National Forest, Vermont
2008 [1]	Subalpine Fir	70 feet	Bitterroot National Forest, Montana
2009 [2]	Blue spruce	85 feet	Apache-Sitgreaves National Forest, Arizona
2010 [3]	Engelmann spruce	67 feet	Bridger-Teton National Forest, Wyoming
2011 [4]	Sierra White Fir	65 feet	Stanislaus National Forest, California
2012	Engelmann spruce	65 feet	White River National Forest, Colorado