Christmas Tree From Mon National Forest Arrives At U.S. Capitol

The U.S. Capitol Christmas tree, which is the first from West Virginia in more than 40 years, will be lighted after Thanksgiving on the West Lawn, with retiring U.S. Sen. Joe Manchin as the host.

A large flatbed trailer holds a 63-foot spruce tree parked on a road accompanied by police vehicles at sunset on a warm November day.

A 63-foot-tall Norway spruce from the Monongahela National Forest arrived at the U.S. Capitol Friday, capping a two-week journey that brought the big tree all over West Virginia.

The U.S. Capitol Christmas tree, which is the first from West Virginia in more than 40 years, will be lighted after Thanksgiving at 5 p.m. on Nov. 28 on the West Lawn, with retiring U.S. Sen. Joe Manchin, D-W.Va., as the host.

The 8,000-pound spruce was harvested in Randolph County on Nov. 1.

A second, 40-foot Norway spruce from the Monongahela National Forest will serve as the National Christmas Tree at the Ellipse at the White House. That tree came from Tucker County and is the first from West Virginia since 1963.

Author: Curtis Tate

Curtis is our Energy & Environment Reporter, based in Charleston. He has spent more than 17 years as a reporter and copy editor for Gannett, Dow Jones and McClatchy. He has written extensively about travel, transportation and Congress for USA TODAY, The Bergen Record, The Lexington Herald-Leader, The Wichita Eagle, The Belleville News-Democrat and The Sacramento Bee. You can reach him at ctate@wvpublic.org.

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