A 50-foot balsam fir in the Green Mountain National Forest has been chosen for holiday duty at the U.S. Capitol.
Theodor Bechtol is the Capitol’s grounds superintendent. He made the selection this week from a pre-selected set of trees.
Bechtol says he was looking for a tree that looks good from any angle, and that has uniformly good density and color.
After Thanksgiving, the tree will be transported to Washington in a caravan of antique trucks, making stops at veterans’ hospitals along the way, including Walter Reed Army Medical Center.
Once in Washington, it will be erected in cement and decorated with lights and ornaments made in Vermont.