For months, U.S. Forest Service staff in Northern Idaho have been scouring the Nez Perce-Clearwater National Forests for the perfect tree.
“The People’s Tree” - the towering evergreen that stands in Capitol Square to represent the people of the United States in Washington, D.C. this Christmas will be harvested from the Salmon River Ranger District in northern Idaho this fall, according to an announcement Thursday from the U.S. Forest Service.
“This particular grand fir, just, it checked all the boxes. It had that kind of perfect shape; it being just a really nice, full, healthy tree is what put it over the edge,” said Zachary Peterson, a staff officer for the Nez Perce-Clearwater National Forests.
The Architect of the Capitol flew in from Washington, D.C. and chose the final fir from a dozen nominees, which included Engelmann spruce, western red cedar and western white pine, he said.
"The honor of selecting the People's Tree is a time-honored tradition between the Architect of the Capitol's office and the U.S. Forest Service, and that partnership was on full display during my visit amongst the grand landscapes of north-central Idaho," said Jim Kaufmann, executive director of Capitol Grounds and Arboretum at the Architect of the Capitol in a press release. "This grand fir stood out for its perfect form and full shape; and we can't wait to welcome its arrival to the west lawn of the U.S. Capitol."
Kaufmann is a horticulturist, “so he knows plants, he knows botany; this is the ninth tree he’s selected,” Peterson said, who accompanied Kaufmann on a road trip through the Nez Perce-Clearwater National Forests.
“We started on the Palouse, and then kind of worked our way down, really along the western edge of the forest, and then all the way down to basically the Salmon River,” he said.
The Salmon River Ranger District spans 536,000 acres on the Southwestern end of the Nez Perce-Clearwater National Forests, with grasslands, rocky canyons and forests thick with evergreen trees and winding rivers.
The tree’s exact location out in the wilderness will remain a secret until a week or two before it’s harvested in mid-October. But this giant 80-foot-tall fir can’t be cut down like a normal Christmas tree.
“We’ll have a crane, and the tree will get cut at the base, and then it will get lifted up and then put onto the custom Capitol Christmas Tree trailer,” Peterson said.
Before the tree-lighting ceremony in Washington, D.C. in early December, the Architect of the Capitol’s team will decorate the tree with ornaments handmade by Idahoans and people across the country, he said.
At last count, Peterson said they have around 4,000 ornaments - but they want to send the tree with 10,000 - and they need big ones.
“Those ornaments that are nine inches to 12 inches, and two-sided for the large tree are the most pressing need at this point,” he said.
After it’s packed up for transport to the East Coast, there will be whistle stops along the tour and events along the way, Peterson said - and the Christmas tree’s route will be revealed next month.
To find ornament-making events near you, visit www.uscapitolchristmastree.com.
Finished ornaments can be mailed to:
Attn: 2026 CCT Ornament Team
Nez Perce-Clearwater National Forest SO
1008 ID-64 Kamiah, ID 83536