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More than a Christmas Tree

Grady Amstrong poses with his family, Smokey Bear, and representatives from the Lt. Governor’s office and Nevada Division of Outdoor Recreation after being named the youth tree lighter for the Capitol Christmas Tree.
An ambassador from Nevada graces the West Lawn of the U.S. Capitol this holiday season – Silver Belle, a perfectly-shaped 53-foot red fir from the Carson Range of the Humboldt-Toiyabe National Forest.The 55-year tradition of the U.S. Capitol Christmas Tree tradition has invited a different national forest to provide the tree annually, with each forest adding its own distinctive touch to the…
#Partnerships, #PeoplesTree, #HumboldtToiyabeNationalForest, #SharedStewardship, #Christmas, #USCapitolChristmasTree, #History, #Nevada

Twelve days of forest Christmas

Image shows the hand of Santa Claus hanging a white globe ornament with the Forest Service shield on to a Christmas tree.
Let’s celebrate the holiday season with a forest-themed version of that Christmas classic, the 12 Days of Christmas. Here are the lyrics so you can sing along!On the 12th day of Christmas, the forest gave to me:  12 rangers ranging  11 elk herds grazing  10 goats a leaping  9 flowers blooming  8 mules a packing  7 swans a swimming  6 geese a laying  5 oak…
#Christmas, #ChristmasTrees, #Holidays

Finding the $5 Christmas tree

Image shows two men carrying a freshly cut Christmas tree through a forest clearing while a dog runs ahead of them.
Many families across the United States celebrate the holiday season with a Christmas tree. Although farmed and fake Christmas trees are full, symmetrical, and simple to get, they can be pricey. And rightly so – a lot of labor and materials go into producing those perfect boughs.But if you live near a national forest, there is another option – the $5 Christmas tree.These trees grow wild on…
#ChristmasTrees, #ChristmasTreePermits, #Christmas, #Holidays

Around the Forest Service: December 2024

USFS shield
WASHINGTON, D.C.—As we reflect on the year's accomplishments, we can be proud knowing we made a difference for people and communities. This year marked 60 years of providing the People's Tree, and Spruce Wayne, a 60-foot Sitka spruce, traveled an enormous distance to land on the west lawn of the U.S. Capitol. The Capitol Christmas tree will be lit nightly through Jan. 1, 2025. This year saw…
#Video, #CapitolChristmasTree, #HurricaneRecovery, #ForestLegacyProgram, #SmokeyBear, #Christmas, #ChristmasTrees

12 days of Forest Service Christmas

Image shows Smokey Bear and several Forest Service employees riding and walking alongside a classic car decorated with Christmas lights. They're participating in a night-time holiday parade in a town square.
Join us and the Durand High School Madrigal Choir from Durand, Michigan, as we celebrate the holiday season with a reinterpretation of that Christmas classic, the 12 Days of Christmas! Sing along with the following lyrics: "On the 12th day of Christmas, the forest sent to me: 12 rangers ranging 11 elk herds grazing 10 goats a leaping 9 flowers blooming 8 mules a…
#Christmas, #Holidays

Alaska ornaments, art, and…unity

Native American ornaments of smiling, winking faces.
In Alaska, holiday cheer began early this year. Alaskans and Alaska Native peoples spent their long summer days tapping into their inner artist, crafting nearly fifteen thousand beautifully handmade ornaments to adorn the U.S. Capitol Christmas Tree.These ornaments are more than just impressive, festive decorations.Many of the ornaments honor the state’s rich and historic Indigenous culture, as…
#Alaska, indigenous traditions, #Traditions, cultural, #Tribes, #CapitolChristmasTree, #Christmas