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There is another special tree. This tree stands majestically in the Green Mountain National Forest, in Southern Vermont. In height, it is 57 feet with a 22-foot drip line at its base. The tree's Latin description is Abies Balsam Nifera, more commonly referred to as a balsam fir. So what is noteworthy about this 60-year-old tree, which is surrounded by thousands of others?
It is because this tree has been unofficially chosen to be the 2007 U.S. Capitol Christmas Tree. The official announcement won't come until March of 2007. At that time Ted Bechtol, deputy superintendent, U.S. Capitol Grounds, will visit the Green Mountain Forest and proclaim the tree to be the official 2007 U.S. Capitol Christmas Tree. Once the official designation has been received, a corps of volunteers will swing into high gear.
Thousands of Vermont artists will be enlisted to produce 3,000 handcrafted ornaments that are used to decorate the tree, upon its arrival in Washington next December. To their ranks will be added Vermont schoolchildren who will be providing ornaments for the 60 or 70 companion trees that will also be making the journey.
These 6- to 10-foot companion trees are
Since last September, a small group of volunteers has been meeting monthly, at the Forest Service's Manchester office, developing the plans to get all of the trees safely, and on time, to Washington.
The work of the committee covers a myriad of assignments. Most important of which is to protect the tree during its last year in the forest. Nature got it to be where it is today but Mother Nature can also harm it. Jim White, who up until last month was Bennington County's Forester for 40 years and a committee member, noted that insects, beavers, lightning, wind and to a lesser degree, fire, are causes for concern. And he should know.
The 2007 tree will be Jim's fourth tree that he has taken to Washington. He escorted the 1967, 1980 and 1994 U.S. Capitol Christmas trees.
Mother Nature is not the only worry. There are the curiosity seekers and souvenir hunters along with individuals who would just as soon see that the tree is not removed from the forest. It is because of these concerns that the tree's specific location is not revealed until it is time to have it harvested.
Since 1965, the U. S. Capitol Grounds personnel select a tree from one of the national forests. This year's tree came from the state of Washington. The cost that goes into the caring, preparing, transporting and promoting the tree is significant. In 2002, Michigan's budget was over one million dollars and in 2004, Virginia spent in excess of $600,000. Vermont, noted for its frugality, has a budget that is a fraction of the dollars expended by the other states.
In December 2007, the seven-day journey to bring the tree(s) to Washington, along with the lighting ceremony two weeks later, will bring to a climax a very special year for our state and the Green Mountain National Forest. In 2007, throughout the state of Vermont, the Forest Service will hold celebrations commemorating the Green Mountain National Forest's 75th anniversary. What a fitting tribute to this wonderful event, to also have the 2007 Capitol Christmas Tree a part of that anniversary.
In 1975, Sally Fisher Scott, daughter of Dorothy Canfield Fisher, gave to the state of Vermont 10 acres of land in Arlington. Contained within the Fisher-Scott Memorial Pines are some of the most spectacular pines still in existence. The site's 150-foot, 250-year-old trees are indeed a rare treasure. And so is the Tree that presently stands in the Green Mountain National Forest. Let's hope, as the Tree begins its last year of growth, Mother Nature will treat it kindly.
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