This year’s Capitol Christmas tree will come from Idaho. The Engelmann spruce was chosen by the Architect of the Capitol.
Harvested this weekend on the outskirts of Weippe in Northern Idaho, it will be sent to Washington, D.C., where it will stand – covered top to bottom in handmade ornaments and lights – on the West Lawn of the Capitol for the Christmas season.
On Saturday, around 60 people gathered in the muddy gravel lot near the chosen tree to bear witness to its harvest, or to help with it.
Towering on the edge of a marshy meadow, surrounded by a creek and tall, yellowed grasses, the evergreen stood 76 feet tall.
As the cars came in, driving up the rural roads winding through hills covered in evergreen trees, a chill hung in the morning air.
As the morning went on, the fog slowly lifted from the prairie and the forested meadows.
Shannon Wheeler, the Nez Perce Tribal Chaplain, led a welcome ceremony, followed by a blessing and the singing of the Tribe’s flag song with drumming that rang out into the wilderness.
“If you think about it, we’re actually taking a life,” he said.
The tree was harvested from the Musselshell area of the Nez Perce-Clearwater National forests, once part of the original Nez Perce homelands.
“The Nez Perce believe in what we call Tamaalwit, or our understanding of the laws that were written upon this land before human beings that were here,” Wheeler said. “We think of the ancient ones, the rocks, the water, the trees are all our ancient relatives that make us who we are.”
Because the tree will no longer be a home to birds or other animals, he explained the importance of understanding how harvesting it from the land will impact the environment.
“We hope that the understanding of it actually being taken from its home and given to the nation and to the world means something far greater,” Wheeler said.
U.S. Sen. James Risch (R-Idaho) also spoke at the harvest ceremony, noting this year’s anniversary of the country’s founding.
“It is a tremendous honor for Idaho to provide this tree for the 250th celebration,” he said.
Following a blessing by Nez Perce Tribal members, the spruce was cut down with a large chainsaw and lifted onto the long wooden trailer by a crane.
“I thought everything went smoothly,” said Samuel Penney, the Nez Perce Tribal Chairman, adding he hopes this will help people learn more about the importance of this land to the Tribe.
Rather than calling them natural resources, Penney said the Nez Perce people prefer to call the trees, water sources and wildlife of their homeland “life resources.”
“Hopefully people will understand why tribes are so passionate about protecting the life resources and making sure they’re there for future generations,” he said.
Forest Supervisor of the Nez Perce-Clearwater National Forests, Jon Word, said the tree's cross-country journey should take about three weeks.
“We're focusing heavily on our local communities first here, around north central Idaho,” he said. “And then we're going over Lolo Pass into eastern Idaho, Idaho Falls and then down to Twin Falls, and then across the middle part of the country.”
The spruce will be covered with a protective shell for the trip, but viewing windows will let people peek at the giant branches and seed cones at events along the way. The tree will make whistle stops in Idaho, Montana, Wyoming and several Midwestern states before arriving at its final destination.
