U.S. Capitol Christmas Tree to be harvested on Nov. 2

Before most people even take down their Halloween decorations, the 2018 U.S. Capitol Christmas Tree tour will already be underway.

The Capitol Christmas Tree is slated to be harvested on Friday, Nov. 2 from the Willamette National Forest in Oregon before being hauled more than 3,000 miles in a Kenworth W990 to Washington, D.C. This year’s tree will be an 80-foot noble fir.

Starting in Sweet Home, Ore., the trip will commemorate the 175th anniversary of the Oregon Trail by tracing the historic route in reverse. The tour will involve 25 communities along the way as it makes stops in Oregon, Idaho, Wyoming, Nebraska, Kansas, Missouri, Ohio and Maryland.

A full listing of all the stops on the tour can be found here.

Attendees at each stop will have the opportunity to sign banners on the sides of the truck and learn more about the tree and the Willamette National Forest.

The tree will be hauled by Central Oregon Truck Co., Redmond, Ore. CEO Rick Williams and longtime partner Phil Taylor will drive much of the way, and they plan to include some tenured drivers for special legs of the trip.

“It is an honor to be selected to carry the 2018 U.S. Capitol Christmas Tree and to represent the great state of Oregon during the tree’s journey to Washington, D.C.,” Williams said in a news release. “Hauling the precious cargo and the joy it brings to Americans across the country will certainly be one of the most memorable loads of a lifetime.”

The tree will be displayed on the West Lawn of the U.S. Capitol with a public tree-lighting ceremony in early December. In addition, 70 smaller companion trees will be sent from the Willamette National Forest to decorate government buildings and public spaces.