A tree from the Tongass National Forest in southeast Alaska was chosen for this year’s Capitol Christmas tree near the White House.

Last month, representatives from the U.S. Forest Service and the District of Washington met in Wrangell to decide which tree would become the “People’s Tree” and decorate the Capitol lawn.

The tree will not only represent Alaska, but will also symbolize the people, history and culture of the Tongass region.

Jim Kaufman, the architect of the Capitol, was one of the officials who searched Wrangell and the surrounding islands for the perfect tree. The legislative branch oversees the grounds and landmark buildings of Capitol Hill in Washington, DC

He said that knowledge of the temperate rainforest and the people of Southeast Alaska helped him decide on the tree, so he first met with some locals.

“Understanding what the local people of the Tongass and the history really mean,” Kaufman said. “It’s a piece of the people it came from, the local people, that is then brought to the United States Capitol where people from all over the world can learn about these regions that many people never get to see.”

Kaufman said it was a very lengthy process to select the “People’s Tree” that would represent our nation. But one thing is clear – it cannot be small.

“When I think of Alaska, and what most people think of Alaska, it’s big,” he said. “That’s exactly what these trees are. They’re big. Big, spreading branches, a full tree.”

The Tongass is vast — nearly 17 million acres — and remote, and the region’s islands have few roads. The Forest Service has been eyeing certain “excellent” tree candidates to make Kaufman’s task easier.

“I can look at the candidate trees and really tell if they’re the right height. So is it somewhere between 15 and 23 meters?” he said. “That’s one of the things I look at, and then the width. We really want something in that 7.5 to 9 meter range.”

He said the tree had to look good from every angle, 360 degrees. They also had to think about logistics, like how the tree would be transported and how it would fit on the semi-trailer.

You’re looking for a Sitka spruce because it’s the predominant tree species in the Tongass. But each spruce is unique. And some characteristics make it more resilient.

“How thick are the branches? Are they about three inches thick? How light and flexible will they be to transport? But we still want the branches to be somewhat stiff so that all the handmade ornaments that the people of Tongass make can be really firmly attached and hold,” Kaufman said.

He said all these factors made his job difficult.

“That’s the fun challenge,” Kaufman said. “It’s been a little stressful. I know we can’t go wrong because we have such a strong pool of high-quality candidates here.”

Tom Roland, a forester in the Chugach National Forest, assisted Kaufman. He is the leader of the tree team for the Capitol Christmas Tree. He basically handles everything from selecting candidates to harvesting and transporting them. He said they had five to six days to inspect the selected candidates.

Roland said the tree selection process began about a year ago.

They searched in the Chugach and Tongass, but ultimately focused specifically on the Wrangell District of the Tongass. “The People’s Tree” originated in the Chugach in 2015.

He said they relied primarily on on-site staff for tree selection, but also used a number of other technologies.

“We took drone footage of some of our candidates,” Roland said. “T3 was involved in this operation.”

T3 is an organization for high school students that focuses on STEM projects like this one.

The Forest Service and its partners used airborne LIDAR to model individual characteristics for over 13.5 million trees. They used ground-based LIDAR to decide which trees were the best candidates.

Roland said selecting a tree from the Tongass is a very special process.

“This is the first Christmas tree drive at the Capitol that involves boats and barges,” he said. “So it was quite an experience.”

Since 1970, a Christmas tree from a national forest has stood on the lawn of the U.S. Capitol. “The People’s Tree” rotates among the nine U.S. Forest Service regions in the country. So here in Alaska, it was Region 10’s turn. Interestingly, there is no Region 7, as it was merged with other regions a few years ago.

He said Kaufman had to choose two trees, one as the main tree and a second in case something happened to the first, such as bad weather.

They will accompany the tree on a blitz tour lasting about 20 days, visiting communities throughout the Lower 48. They will also make sure the tree is healthy enough to survive the trip, especially on the barge down to Washington State.

“We have to be really innovative in that process as well, trying to keep a tree green and in good condition for as long as it takes before it goes to the Capitol,” Roland said. “Once it’s in the Capitol, it’s on display for almost a month as well. So that’s a long time to keep a tree green and in good condition.”

Even felling the tree is a laborious process.

“It’s a very big operation,” Roland said. “We want to make sure the tree isn’t damaged. And even removing the tree from the landscape is very complex. It usually requires a crane or, for some excavators, a very large truck, and it can take more than a day to get the tree from the stump to the truck.”

Brandon Raile, who also works for the Chugach National Forest and is leading the project, said they have been in planning stages for the past year to find candidates and figure out logistics, but now the process is gaining momentum.

“Once the Office of the Architect of the Capitol gets here and makes the tree selection, it’s like we’re on this roller coaster that’s just reached the top and is getting ready to go down faster and faster,” he said. “So this is a really exciting time for us. It’s been a lot of fun.”

Raile said he had a great time showing the people of DC the Tongass.

“As an Alaskan, I love seeing the faces of people who aren’t from Alaska when they come to Alaska for the first time,” he said. “So it was very, very cool to see that amazement, that wonder on the faces of our guests.”

Raile said the tree Kaufman chooses will be great. He agreed that each tree has different characteristics.

“Just like people, each of them has their own little unique characteristics that make them special,” he said.

He said everyone on his team at the National Forest Service looked closely at every tree they saw. He said because of that experience, he will probably be very picky about Christmas trees for the rest of his life.

“Apparently I’m not a very good judge of tree height,” Raile said. “So everyone I sent in said enthusiastically, ‘Hey, what about this candidate?’ They came back and said, ‘No, it’s too short.'”

Kaufman ultimately chose the 2024 People’s Tree, but the exact location is top secret. What we do know is that it is currently on Wrangell Island.