About
The tradition of the Capitol Christmas Tree, or “The People’s Tree,” began in 1964 when Speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives John W. McCormack (D-MA) placed a live Christmas tree on the Capitol lawn. This tree lived three years before succumbing to wind and root damage.
In 1970, the Capitol Architect asked the U.S. Forest Service to provide a Christmas tree. Since then, a different national forest has been chosen each year to provide “The People’s Tree,” which includes a public engagement campaign to create connections with and celebrate our national forests. The initiative brings together USDA Forest Service staff, communities throughout the respective state and country, and local and national partners to celebrate the spirit of the season and our great outdoors.
The 2024 tree will come from Alaska’s National Forests.
| Year | Tree | Forest |
|---|---|---|
| 1964 | Douglas Fir (live) | Buddies Nurseries, Birdsboro, Pennsylvania |
| 1965 | Douglas Fir (live) | Buddies Nurseries, Birdsboro, Pennsylvania |
| 1966 | Douglas Fir (live) | Buddies Nurseries, Birdsboro, Pennsylvania |
| 1967 | Douglas Fir (live) | Buddies Nurseries, Birdsboro, Pennsylvania |
| 1968 | White Pine (parts) | Fincksburg, Maryland |
| 1969 | White Pine (parts) | Westminster, Maryland |
| 1970 | Norway Spruce | Monongahela National Forest, West Virginia |
| 1971 | Black Spruce | White Mountain National Forest, New Hampshire |
| 1972 | Balsam Fir | Tennessee National Forest, Pennsylvania |
| 1973 | White Spruce | Allegheny National Forest, Pennsylvania |
| 1974 | Fraser Fir | Pisgah National Forest, North Carolina |
| 1975 | Balsam Fir | Ottawa National Forest, Michigan |
| 1976 | Red Spruce | Monongahela National Forest, West Virginia |
| 1977 | White Spruce | Nemadji State Forest, Minnesota |
| 1978 | Norway Spruce | Savage River State Forest, Maryland |
| 1979 | White Spruce | Nicolet National Forest, Wisconsin |
| 1980 | White Spruce | Green Mountain National Forest, Vermont |
| 1981 | White Spruce | Hiawatha National Forest, Michigan |
| 1982 | Balsam Fir | Riley Bostwick Wildlife Management Area, Vermont |
| 1983 | White Spruce | Chequamegon National Forest, Wisconsin |
| 1984 | White Spruce | Superior National Forest, Minnesota |
| 1985 | White Spruce | Ottawa National Forest, Michigan |
| 1986 | Shasta Red Fir | Klamath National Forest, California |
| 1987 | Norway Spruce | Wayne-Hoosier National Forest, Ohio |
| 1988 | Balsam Fir | Manistee National Forest, Michigan |
| 1989 | Engelmann Spruce | Kootenai National Forest, Montana |
| 1990 | Engelmann Spruce | Routt National Forest, Colorado |
| 1991 | Blue Spruce (live) | Carson National Forest, New Mexico |
| 1992 | White Spruce | Chippewa National Forest, Minnesota |
| 1993 | White Fir | San Bernardino National Forest, California |
| 1994 | Balsam Fir | Green Mountain National Forest, Vermont |
| 1995 | Douglas Fir | Plumas National Forest, California |
| 1996 | Engelmann Spruce | Manti-LaSal National Forest, Utah |
| 1997 | Black Hills Spruce | Black Hills National Forest, South Dakota |
| 1998 | Fraser Fir | Pisgah National Forest, North Carolina |
| 1999 | White Spruce | Nicolet National Forest, Wisconsin |
| 2000 | Colorado Blue Spruce | Pike National Forest, Colorado |
| 2001 | White Spruce | Ottawa National Forest, Michigan |
| 2002 | Douglas Fir | Umpqua National Forest, Oregon |
| 2003 | Engelmann Spruce | Boise National Forest, Idaho |
| 2004 | Red Spruce | Washington & Jefferson National Forest, Virginia |
| 2005 | Engelmann Spruce | Santa Fe National Forest, New Mexico |
| 2006 | Pacific Silver Fir | Olympic National Forest, Washington |
| 2007 | Balsam Fir | Green Mountain National Forest, Vermont |
| 2008 | Subalpine Fir | Bitterroot National Forest, Montana |
| 2009 | Blue Spruce | Apache-Sitgreaves National Forest, Arizona |
| 2010 | Engelmann Spruce | Bridger-Teton National Forest, Wyoming |
| 2011 | Sierra White Fir | Stanislaus National Forest, California |
| 2012 | Engelmann Spruce | White River National Forest, Colorado |
| 2013 | Engelmann Spruce | Colville National Forest, Washington |
| 2014 | White Spruce | Chippewa National Forest, Minnesota |
| 2015 | Lutz Spruce | Chugach National Forest, Alaska |
| 2016 | Engelmann Spruce | Payette National Forest, Idaho |
| 2017 | Engelmann Spruce | Kootenai National Forest, Montana |
| 2018 | Noble Fir | Willamette National Forest, Oregon |
| 2019 | Blue Spruce | Carson National Forest, New Mexico |
| 2020 | Engelmann Spruce | Grand Mesa, Uncompahgre, and Gunnison National Forests, Colorado |
| 2021 | White Fir | Six Rivers National Forest, California |
| 2022 | Red Spruce | National Forests in North Carolina |
| 2023 | Norway Spruce | Monongahela National Forest, West Virginia |
