At Alaska’s News Source, our mission is to Tell Alaska’s Story. This is not only what we do, but also our responsibility, and we take tremendous pride in fulfilling that responsibility to the people of Alaska every day.
Traveling by commercial and bush plane, snowmachine, boat, off the road, across the country, and around the globe — at Alaska’s News Source, we know Alaska’s borders are not boundaries when it comes to keeping Alaskans informed and delivering award-winning content.
One of our largest contributions to the communities in which we serve is in documenting and sharing history. For us, it was an easy decision to partner with the U.S. Capitol Christmas Tree initiative. We wanted Alaskans from the Panhandle to the North Slope, and all the rural and urban communities in between, to enjoy the journey and follow along as the U.S. Capitol Christmas Tree makes its way from the Tongass National Forest to our nation’s capital city. We’re proudly documenting this exciting story for Alaska, and we’re thrilled to have a part in telling it.
JUNEAU, Alaska – June 17, 2024 – The Alaska Region of the U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service, which features the Tongass and Chugach National Forests, is proud to reveal the 2024 U.S. Capitol Christmas Tree logo. Symbolizing Alaska’s National Forests and the theme, “Where Nature, People, and Tradition come together,” the logo represents “The People’s Tree” to Americans across the country.
“Team Alaska is proud to unveil the 2024 U.S. Capitol Christmas Tree logo,” said Chad VanOrmer, Regional Forester. “What a great symbol to represent Alaska’s gift to the American people this holiday season.”
“The People’s Tree” is an annual icon of hope and celebration, and this year’s logo offers an opportunity to highlight Alaska’s majestic landscape, unique culture, rich traditions, diverse ecosystems, and abundant resources. It also speaks to the deep connection Alaskans, especially Alaska Natives, have with the lands they call home.
Artist Mike Hoyt was selected by the Wrangell Cooperative Association to design the traditional Alaska Native element that frames the majestic scene created by Shannon Holt, a Forest Service employee at the Chugach National Forest. Together, their work truly represents Alaska’s National Forests and the natural wonder that continues to bring us together.
The first element of the logo is a red ribbon that brings to mind the spirit of giving associated with the holiday season. Written across the top ribbon, “Alaska’s National Forests” represents the two forests. On the lower portion of the ribbon, the words “Kayéil’, Sagú, Ḵa Toowúk’éi” relay a special greeting in the Tlingit language to all who see the logo. It translates to “Peace, Joy and Happiness.”
Along the sides of the second element of the logo is form line art representing a raven (left) and an eagle (right), two moieties commonly found in the Indigenous cultures of southeast Alaska, from which this special tree will come. Across the top, “2024 U.S. Capitol Christmas Tree” proudly announces “The People’s Tree,” a symbol of the holidays for everyone across our great and vast country.
The logo’s final element is a scene bathed in alpenglow, depicting the Alaska Region theme. A majestic Sitka spruce stands prominently in the center to represent this gift to the American people. Around it, retreating glaciers expose extensive forests and wetlands, while in the sky above, the North Star and the Big Dipper serve as unmistakable symbols of Alaska, and the aurora reinforces its majestic qualities. Silhouettes of birds, fish, and wildlife symbolize nature’s creatures whose lives are so intertwined with our own, and finally, two human figures represent all of us and our shared love for this special land.
Once the tree is selected and harvested, it will be transported by sea to Seattle, then transferred to a truck and trailer before setting out on a Whistlestop Tour across the country to Washington, D.C. There, it will be delivered to the U.S. Capitol and decorated with thousands of ornaments hand-made by Alaskans across the state.
The first and only previous U.S. Capitol Christmas Tree to come from Alaska was harvested from the Chugach National Forest in 2015. This year, the tree will come from the Tongass National Forest – America’s largest national forest.
We invite everyone to learn more and follow the journey of the 2024 U.S. Capitol Christmas Tree at:
JUNEAU, Alaska – March 27, 2024 – The Alaska Region of the Forest Service, which features the Tongass and Chugach National Forests, is honored to have been selected to provide the 2024 U.S. Capitol Christmas Tree. An annual symbol of hope and celebration, the tree offers an opportunity to showcase Alaska’s majestic landscape, unique culture, rich traditions, diverse ecosystems, and abundant resources. The tree will symbolize Alaskans’ connection to the lands they call home, as well as the special relationships between our forests and the tribal communities, partners, and sponsors coming together to send this unique holiday gift to the U.S. Capitol.
The first and only previous U.S. Capitol Christmas Tree to come from Alaska was sent from the Chugach National Forest in 2015. This year, the tree will come from the Tongass National Forest – America’s largest national forest.
“I am excited to announce that Alaska’s Tongass National Forest has been chosen to provide this year’s Capitol Christmas Tree to grace the West Lawn. The Tongass is a special place for so many Alaskans who call it home – a place rich with resources and Native cultural history. This holiday season, I can’t wait to share some of the amazing aspects of the region and our state with the Capitol and the entire nation as we welcome The People’s Tree,” said Senator Lisa Murkowski. “In 2015, Alaska’s other national forest, the Chugach National Forest, provided the Capitol Tree for the first time. Each forest acts as a hub of recreation and opportunity for thousands of Alaskans, a source of pride across our state. I look forward to once again spotlighting the majesty of Alaskan trees during Christmastime in the nation’s capital.”
“It’s an honor to have the 2024 U.S. Capitol tree come from Alaska,” said Alaska Governor Mike Dunleavy. “With over 22 million acres of pristine wilderness, Alaska’s forests not only symbolize the grandeur of our nation but also embody the spirit of resilience and unity. As we prepare to share a piece of Alaska with the nation, I want to acknowledge Alaska’s National Forests team for their tireless work. Congratulations to everyone involved.”
“On behalf of the hundreds of Forest Service employees who call Alaska Home, please know that as Team Alaska, we are overjoyed to be able to be a part of something bigger than ourselves, and to spread joy and cheer across the country,” said Acting Alaska Regional Forester Chad VanOrmer.
The U.S. Capitol Christmas Tree – known as “The People’s Tree,” reflecting the nickname for the U.S. House of Representatives, “The People’s House” – adorns the West Lawn of the U.S. Capitol and has been selected each year since 1970 from a different National Forest.
The Alaska Region has partnered with nonprofits Society of American Foresters and Alaska Geographic to create a conservation education campaign directly tied to the project, educating Alaskans and Americans nationwide on Alaska’s National Forests and the multi-use mission of the agency. The Society of American Foresters and Alaska Geographic will also support a “whistlestop tour” to communities across the country as the tree is transported from Alaska to Washington, D.C. The campaign is made possible with support from 2024 presenting sponsor, 84 Lumber, contributions from companies large and small, and with vital participation of volunteers locally and across America.
We invite everyone to learn more and follow the journey of the 2024 U.S. Capitol Christmas Tree at:
The holiday season has officially begun, as the 2023 U.S. Capitol Christmas Tree from the Monongahela National Forest was lit during a public ceremony. The Architect of the Capitol welcomed Speaker of the House Mike Johnson (R-LA), U.S. Senator Joe Manchin (D-WV), Senator Shelley Moore Capito (R-WV), Representatives Carol Miller (R-WV) and Alex Mooney (R-WV), essay contest winner Ethan Reese and the Richwood High School Marching Band.
This year’s tree is a 63-foot Norway spruce from the Greenbrier Ranger District in West Virginia’s Monongahela National Forest. The People’s Tree will be lit from dusk until 11 p.m. each evening through January 1, 2024. Visiting the tree is free and open to the public. No ticket is required.
With this year’s U.S. Capitol Christmas celebration theme being “Endlessly Wild and Wonderful,” a number of smaller trees will be distributed throughout Washington D.C. and Joint Base Andrew. All of these trees will be provided by presenting sponsor 84 Lumber and Jim Rockis of Bruceton Mills, WV.
Jim Rockis became interested in quantitative genetics in the early 90s with help from late WVU professor Frank Cech. Since Cech passed back in 2009, Rockis has carried out the knowledge and skill needed to produce genetically superior trees, more specifically the Canaan Fir tree.
“There’s a lot of things that folks don’t know about in our state of West Virginia that we’re doing with forestry, we’re doing with horticulture, and I kind of look at myself as combining the two. What we do and is kind of neat, we’re supplying a lot of the seed that goes to high growers in Michigan, New York, Maryland, Connecticut, Massachusetts and even North Carolina,” Rockis said in an interview with 12 News.
The most popularly recognized Christmas tree is the Frasier Fir, though Rockis said that it’s rather difficult to grow. This encouraged Rockis’ experimentation of the Canaan Fir, a tree native of West Virginia, which he has developed to resemble a Frasier Fir yet with a better “shelf life.”
Rockis and 84 Lumber are working together to deliver a 25-foot Canaan Fir that Rockis selected himself to the federal USDA building in Washington, D.C.
“I’m very honored to participate in this to show what we do here, particularly with forestry, agriculture, horticulture, particularly in the private sector of West Virginia. We’re very excited to share with the nation what we’re doing up here, and how we’re developing genetically superior trees,” said Rockis.
Rockis hopes to be in D.C. whenever the trees arrive, and he hopes to encourage the youth by sharing his own story.
Originally published at WBOY on September 28, 2023. Photo of 25′ Canaan Fir in the USDA building in Washington, D.C.
Each year, the Architect of the Capitol (AOC) selects the annual U.S. Capitol Christmas Tree in consultation with the United States Forest Service. This year’s tree is a 63-foot Norway spruce from the Greenbrier Ranger District in West Virginia’s Monongahela National Forest.
The tree traveled to Washington, D.C., by truck making stops in communities along its route before arriving at the U.S. Capitol on Friday, November 17, 2023. A team of employees from the AOC will secure and decorate the tree, ensuring it is ready to spread holiday cheer to visitors from all over the country and around the world.
The lighting of the U.S. Capitol Christmas Tree, a time-honored tradition of more than 50 years, will take place Tuesday, November 28, 2023, during a ceremony on the West Front Lawn beginning at 5 p.m. It will then be lit from dusk until 11 p.m. each evening through January 1, 2024. Visiting the tree is free and open to the public.
The U.S. Capitol Christmas Tree was harvested Wednesday, Nov. 1, from the Monongahela National Forest in the Greenbrier Ranger District. Follow the journey, beginning with this story from Brad Rice, a photojournalist with WCHS 8 (West Virginia).
After being harvested on Nov. 1, staff spent three days prepping the U.S. Capitol Christmas Tree for its journey from the mountains of West Virginia to the West Lawn of the U.S. Capitol.
West Hempfield Township-based AHF Products Inc. lent its facility to ready and wrap the tree in Beverly, West Virginia. AHF is a second-year sponsor. Beverly is located near Elkins, WV, home of the Monongahela National Forest. View this timelapse of part of the process.
The 2023 U.S. Capitol Christmas Tree will visit Elkins in early November on its way to Washington, D.C. The free event, set for Saturday, Nov. 4, will feature a parade, live music, and activities for children.
“We are honored that the U.S. Capitol Christmas tree will kick off its journey to Washington, D.C. from Elkins,” Elkins Mayor Jerry Marco said. “Our community looks forward to being a part of this gift to the nation and the joy it will bring to our community this holiday.”
The Nov. 4 festivities in Elkins will include remarks by invited government officials, free treats and hot chocolate, a coat drive, music, and children’s activities.
The event will begin with a parade, as local bands escort the tree down Third Street from the Jennings Randolph Federal Building to the Elkins Depot. Onlookers will receive small U.S. and West Virginia flags, provided by Our Town, Inc., to wave as the bands and trees go by.
Parade viewers will then be encouraged to join the back of the parade and march along to the Depot. Once there, the festivities will run from 6 to 8 p.m. Elves from The Old Brick Playhouse will also join the celebration. The event is free and open to the public.
The Elkins Depot Welcome Center will be decorated, and the nearby streets will be adorned with wreaths purchased in honor or memoriam by local citizens. The installation of these wreaths and six snowflakes on Randolph Avenue is being provided by a donation from FirstEnergy.
The “Elfkins Planning Team” has been working on the arrangements for this kick-off event. The planning team includes Elkins Mayor Jerry Marco and his staff, the Randolph County Development Authority, the Elkins-Randolph County Chamber, Elkins Main Street, the Elkins Depot Welcome Center, the Old Brick Playhouse, Citizens Promoting Community, and Our Town, Inc.
West Virginia attorney and World Champion Lumberjack Arden Cogar, Jr. and longtime Monongahela National Forest employee Ron Polgar have been chosen to harvest the 2023 U.S. Capitol Christmas Tree from Monongahela National Forest in early November.
Arden Cogar is a lifelong West Virginia resident and part of a family known for its association with the West Virginia timber industry for six generations and its dominant presence in lumberjack sports for more than sixty years. Arden has won 55 individual world titles in his sport, four U.S. Stihl Timbersports Series Championships, and numerous state and national championships. He has practiced law in West Virginia for more than 26 years. His father, Arden Cogar, Sr., harvested the 1976 U.S. Capitol Christmas tree from the Gauley Ranger District.
“Monongahela National Forest has been part of my entire life,” said Cogar. “My family has worked the hills of West Virginia in the timber industry for six generations. But beyond that, we have acted as stewards of the forest to create a sustainable economy for the rural communities in the central highlands of West Virginia.”
Ron Polgar works as a biological technician on Monongahela National Forest and is well-known as an expert botanist. He has worked on the Forest for 46 years, longer than any other employee. During the Vietnam War, he served aboard the USS Chicago in the Gulf of Tonkin as a radarman and will have 50 years of federal service in March 2024.
“A childhood friend from New Jersey brought me to West Virginia, where I have stayed for nearly 50 years, finding the serenity and comfort of the mountains to my liking,” said Polgar. “President Carter’s administration created the Young Adult Conservation Corps, and crew leaders were needed on national forests hosting the program. It was my foot in the door in 1978.”
In addition to his work as a botanist, Ron has coordinated the Forest’s saw program since 1990. He trains both chainsaw and crosscut sawyers and is known to meticulously maintain all tools.
These two experienced sawyers will use a crosscut saw to harvest the 63-foot Norway spruce that will be displayed on the West Lawn of the U.S. Capitol this holiday season, with support from a STIHL chainsaw. ALL Crane & Equipment Rental of Nitro will provide cranes to lift the tree onto a specially built frame on a Hale trailer. The tree will tour the state of West Virginia beginning with a kick-off event in Elkins November 4, stopping in communities along the way before it is delivered to the U.S. Capitol in Washington, D.C.
The U.S. Capitol Christmas Tree initiative is a 53-year tradition in which one of America’s 154 national forests provides a tree for the West Lawn of the U.S. Capitol for the holiday season. The project is made possible with support from partners including non-profit Choose Outdoors along with cash and in-kind contributions from companies large and small as well as volunteers locally and across America.
We invite you to follow the 2023 U.S. Capitol Christmas Tree project:
Facebook: @USCapitolChristmasTree and @MonongahelaNF
The first element of the logo is a red ribbon that brings to mind the spirit of giving associated with the holiday season. Written across the top ribbon, “Alaska’s National Forests” represents the two forests. On the lower portion of the ribbon, the words “Kayéil’, Sagú, Ḵa Toowúk’éi” relay a special greeting in the Tlingit language to all who see the logo. It translates to “Peace, Joy and Happiness.”
