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Holiday cheer delivered to governor’s mansion by Alaska Region, partners

December 19, 2022
Two Forest Service employees in hard hats and work gloves kneel while harvesting Sitka spruce for governor's mansion. Photo taken from a low angle looking up at the employees.
Laurent Deviche (left) and Jack Greenhalgh harvest the Together Tree, a 14-foot Sitka spruce. Photo courtesy of Lee House.

ALASKA—Visitors to the governor’s mansion in Juneau during the holidays will notice a magnificent 14-foot Sitka spruce decorated with unique ornaments on one of the side patios.

Crew from the Coast Guard cutter offloading the tarp-wrapped tree from the boat to the dock.
Crew from U.S. Coast Guard cutter Douglas Denman offloading the 2022 Together Tree in Juneau, Alaska, Dec. 10, 2022. U.S. Coast Guard photo by Petty Officer 2nd class Lexie Preston.

This symbol of holiday cheer arrived in the capital city on Saturday, Dec. 10, on the U.S. Coast Guard cutter Douglas Denman. As usual, the journey of the annual Together Tree involved several partners, festive collaboration and a whole lot of pride.

The Coast Guard crew safely delivered the tree all the way from the Sitka Ranger District on the Tongass National Forest.

“We’re glad Sitka can be the place where this project began, so we can highlight the fantastic community we have here,” said Sitka District Ranger Eric Garner. “The people here have rallied around the effort and the governor’s house will get a great tree with unique ornaments representative of the people and vibrant ecosystems of Southeast Alaska.”

Fourteen-foot tall Sitka spruce decorated with colorful lights and community-made ornaments, on the porch of the Alaska governor's mansion. Photo taken at night.
The Together Tree, decorated with lights and ornaments, on display at the governor’s mansion in Juneau, Alaska. USDA Forest Service photo by Melissa Kulack.
 

Before it started its 93-mile journey from Sitka to Juneau, the tree first needed to be selected, blessed by the local tribe, harvested and then loaded onto the Coast Guard boat along with handmade decorations.

On Dec. 8, the tree received a blessing from Chuck Miller of the Sitka Tribe of Alaska during the harvesting ceremony. Sitka Ranger District employees Laurent Deviche, a trail crew lead, and Jack Greenhalgh, from facility maintenance, later harvested the tree and prepared it for shipment.

Meanwhile, students from Sitka’s Keet Gooshi Heen Elementary school were busy crafting unique ornaments for the tree. Community members were also invited to create ornaments, and all the ornaments were delivered to the Forest Service office in time for the tree’s departure for Juneau.

An open house held Dec. 13 included the offering of cookies and hot cider, as well as musical acts from the Juneau community. Today, the tree is covered in bright lights and colorful ornaments, and it is standing tall as a shining example of the joy of coming together during the holidays.

Each year since 2017, the Forest Service has worked with federal, state, tribal and local governments in the Alaska Region, to ensure there is always a remarkable tree for the governor’s mansion, serving as a symbol of community and collaboration.

Photo taken from shore: Coast Guard cutter pulls into harbor port. In background, buildings of Juneau.
The Coast Guard cutter Douglas Denman pulling into port in Juneau, Alaska, Dec. 10, 2022. U.S. Coast Guard photo by Petty Officer 2nd class Lexie Preston.