Starry Nights and Silver Lights: Finding Christmas Magic in Nevada's Forest

Even while we were getting record heat in Washington, D.C., and the campus was buzzing from the Fourth of July concert, I still couldn't help but think about one thing – Christmas!

Each summer, as Executive Director of U.S. Capitol Grounds and Arboretum, I represent the Architect of the Capitol (AOC) at the selection of the U.S. Capitol Christmas Tree. The AOC and the United States Forest Service (USFS) have a long-standing partnership to provide the "People's Tree." The tree has come from the national forests since 1970 and represents the land and the people from the chosen regional forest.

This year the Christmas tree is coming from Nevada for the first time, and I am excited to learn about the region, life and traditions of the area. Long before the lights are strung and the ornaments hung, the journey begins in Nevada's Humboldt-Toiyabe National Forest, which is the largest national forest in the contiguous United States.

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The USFS team works together with the AOC’s Executive Director of U.S. Capitol Grounds and Arboretum to select the perfect Christmas tree.

Being native to the Mid-Atlantic area, I don't know much about Nevada, but one of the best parts of the U.S. Capitol Christmas Tree program is that I can learn about ;the area and meet people from the state. During one of our first meetings with the USFS regional office, I was quickly educated about the diversity of ecosystems throughout Nevada and the Humboldt-Toiyabe National Forest.

This forest encompasses 6.3 million acres, and its climate is very diverse. As I was flying into Las Vegas, Nevada, it was breathtaking to see the desert stretched over a large area. Equally impressive were the mountains just outside of it.

On our first day in the field, we drove to the Spring Mountains to see a set of candidate trees. As we drove through the winding roads, we felt the heat fall quickly from 95 degrees to 65 degrees Fahrenheit. I was surprised to learn that we climbed to more than 8,000 feet of elevation within just one hour! It was evident how the weather patterns change in the mountains, bringing much-needed moisture to an otherwise arid climate.

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The Humboldt-Toiyabe National Forest is home to several mountain ranges, including the Spring Mountains and the Sierra Nevada Mountain range.

We reviewed trees there, consisting mostly of white fir (Abies concolor). These trees stand tall with silvery-green needles and thrive in cool mountain forests. Their flexible branches and traditional form make it a popular Christmas tree for many.

I have selected the U.S. Capitol Christmas Tree for the AOC since 2018 and am very accustomed to driving in USFS rigs through miles of logging roads and traversing one side of a mountain to the other to inspect candidate trees. However, this year the vastness of the Humboldt-Toiyabe National Forest also required traversing via plane – from the Spring Mountains outside of Las Vegas to the high elevation regions of the Sierra Nevada Mountains outside of Lake Tahoe.

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Detailed discussions and close observation of each candidate tree are necessary steps before making a final selection.

The Sierra Nevada Mountain region supports red fir (Abies magnifica) as the predominant species. This species is also known as the silvertip fir, as a nod to the beautiful and graceful growth of the delicate branches. Red fir trees are characterized by majestic conifers with reddish-brown bark and dense, upward-reaching branches.

After examining candidate trees from both regions, I was ready to make my selection. I saw many great trees, each with special characteristics and growing in majestic locations. I thought about all I had learned about the history of Nevada and the people of the regions that comprise the Humboldt-Toiyabe National Forest. I reviewed my notes, USFS data and thought about the experiences that I had visiting each tree.

The U.S. Capitol Christmas tree conveys a story about the open spaces of our country's national forests and must be perfect from all angles. The selected tree must also have sturdy, full branches to provide support for thousands of ornaments, holding them securely among its dense and fragrant needles.

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The Carson Ranger station served as home base for the USFS and the AOC's Jim Kaufmann during the Christmas tree selection visit to the Sierra Nevada Mountains.

The logistics of getting the tree out of the forest and on its way to the U.S. Capitol in Washington, D.C. must be considered when selecting the Christmas tree. Is there a road? Is the road wide enough? What impact will be created when the tree is removed from the forest? I carefully weighed this and many other factors before making my decision.

Finally, I selected which tree is best suited to represent the United States and Nevada, and be situated on the West Front Lawn of the U.S. Capitol. It was a tough decision, but I am confident in my choice: a red fir from the Carson Ranger District.

Choosing the People's Tree for Christmas is an honor. The selection not only highlights the richness and ecological variety of our country but also supports sustainable forest management.

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This is the first time that Nevada will provide the U.S. Capitol Christmas Tree.

The next time I see this magnificent red fir tree will be when it arrives in Washington, D.C., in mid-November. The Capitol Grounds and Arboretum team will be ready to work through potentially harsh weather and the Thanksgiving holiday to set up and decorate the tree.

At the Architect of the Capitol, we work hard to preserve this long-standing holiday tradition and do our best to inspire new and memorable experiences for everyone who visits the campus during the holiday season.