It’s hard enough trying to find just the right Christmas tree for your home. Choosing just one from all the trees in the Bitterroot National Forest and having that tree be just the perfect one to display on the Capitol Mall in Washington is quite a job.
And it’s exactly the job that the folks in the Bitterroot National Forest have on their plate this fall.
This year, Montana and the Bitterroot National Forest have been asked to provide the 2008 Capitol Christmas Tree, a tradition dating back to 1970. In addition to providing the tree, the state also provides the trimmings for the tree. The ornaments don’t come from the State, but instead, from groups and individuals across Montana. Local residents can still create and submit ornaments for the Capitol Tree or for the companion tree until October 15th.
After a slight shuffling of the tree’s schedule, the U.S. Forest Service confirmed this morning that the 2008 Capitol Christmas Tree will spend the night in Columbia Falls on the evening of November 5. The Columbia Falls Chamber of Commerce, First Best Place Task Force and other organizations are planning a event commemorating the tree’s overnight visit on that evening.
More information about the tree’s origin and travels can be found at http://www.capitolchristmastree2008.org/.
Last year’s tree came from Vermont.
The tree destined to be the 2008 Capitol Treee currently lives in the Bitterroot National Forest and will be transported across Montana and the U.S. during the month of November, arriving in Columbia Falls on November 5 and proceeding across the country for a planned arrival on the Capitol Mall in Washington, D.C. on November 24.