Delivering Christmas to Washington

Every year, enormous decorated trees are unveiled in places like the White House and New York's Rockefeller Center. To casual observers their appearance is just another part of the Christmas magic associated with the season. But behind the scenes it takes more than elves to get these mighty spruces to their destination.

The tree at the U.S. Capitol, like all of the nation's most prominent Christmas trees, is delivered by truck. The 67-foot tall Englemann Spruce, weighing more than three tons, traveled to D.C. from Jackson Hole, Wyoming in the trailer of a semi owned by Jeff Underwood Trucking Inc.

The tree was chosen back in July - that much time was needed to make the necessary preparations for its transport. These included the building and graveling of roads to allow heavy equipment to reach the site, and the widening of roads so the Underwood truck could travel safely from Bridger-Teton National Forest. Initial loading was accomplished by driving the truck under the tree so it could be gently lowered, horizontally, into its bed, along with a sophisticated watering system that kept its needles green during the 21-day trip. Facebook and Twitter updates allowed people to follow the journey online.

The U.S. Capitol tree was officially lit on December 7. Meanwhile, back in Wyoming, 500 seedlings were planted as part of a carbon neutral program. And every part of the journey, from the fuel for the truck to the heavy equipment needed to cut down and transport the tree, was donated by various public and private organizations. Apparently, even Christmas trees are not immune from political scrutiny. If only Washington had watched the budget this closely when all that bailout money was being distributed.