FORT COLLINS, Colo. – Each year, CSFS foresters harvest a holiday tree destined for the Colorado State Capitol.
On November 16th, a crew from the Fort Collins Field Office piled into pickups to make the two-hour drive northwest along bumpy county roads. Gray clouds and wind chill crept into the foothills.
The destination, as in prior years, was a section of forest owned by the Colorado State Land Board in a remote corner of Larimer County. Here, they cut the holiday tree and other, smaller festive trees for the Colorado State University campus.
Harvesting the Capitol tree is a familiar tradition that requires careful coordination, safety and precision. Each stage of the process—from first sight, to cutting and transporting it nearly three hours to Denver—offers a chance to appreciate the tree’s contribution to holiday celebrations.
Embodying the annual effort is Mike Hughes, career forester with the CSFS, who has been leading the tradition for CSFS every year since 1996.
Before even arriving to harvest the tree, he’s already had one picked out, thanks to his years of experience and management projects on this State Land Board parcel. Before leaving, he’ll have next year’s tree marked, too.
The holiday tree is a 25-foot subalpine fir, looking a bit out of place towering through a dense aspen grove along with a scattering of young conifers. Geared up with a hardhat, chaps and a chainsaw, Hughes shared his observations as he walked through the forest.
“These evergreen seedlings and saplings, they’re going to be competing with these aspens, and eventually will shade them out,” Hughes explained, pointing out key features of the forest composition.
This competition actually makes for an ideal place to harvest the holiday tree. Aspens prefer full sun, so removing some of these conifers over the years will help the aspen stand thrive.
It’s a small difference in the broader picture, but it shows how foresters observe the ecosystem over time through a close connection to the forests where they work. Removing a few conifers per year is a compatible and convenient way to support forest health and provide a few holiday trees.
With the Capitol tree marked, the team worked to fell and drag it, by hand, onto a trailer. It then made the long drive down the back roads and eventually to the State Capitol with all the care, presence and attention to detail that the holidays deserve.
The tree, now decorated, can be viewed during the Capitol’s regular business hours.
