FMCSA Inspects Truck Transporting “Uniquely Alaskan” 2024 U.S. Capitol Christmas Tree

FMCSA
5 min readNov 15, 2024

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The U.S. Capitol Christmas Tree departs the Tongass National Forest on it’s way to Washington D.C.
The U.S. Capitol Christmas Tree departs the Tongass National Forest on its way to Washington D.C.

Every year, a different U.S. national forest is selected to provide a tree to appear on the West Lawn of the U.S. Capitol building for the holiday season. This year’s tree comes from Alaska’s National Forests. The only previous U.S. Capitol Christmas Tree to come from Alaska was sent from the Chugach National Forest in 2015. This year, the tree comes from the Tongass National Forest — America’s largest national forest.

The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) is excited to participate in the U.S. Capitol Christmas Tree journey again this year as it makes a 4,000-mile journey from Alaska to Washington, D.C. As an agency committed to ensuring safety in commercial motor vehicle (CMV) operations, the U.S. Capitol Christmas Tree journey offers a platform for FMCSA to remind the public of the importance of safety around large trucks and buses during the holiday season. With increased travel during this period, we take this opportunity to highlight crucial safety messages for both CMV and passenger vehicle drivers.

This year’s tree is transported by John Schank and Fred Austin of Lynden, an Alaska-based transport company that began as a two-horse operation in 1906. Both Schank and Austin began working for Lynden in 1975 and have collectively driven 10 million accident-free miles. Austin has over 50 years of truck-driving experience, while Schank has the distinction of having delivered the 2015 U.S. Capitol Christmas Tree.

Lynden truck drivers John Schank (left) and Fred Austin (right).
Lynden truck drivers John Schank (left) and Fred Austin (right).

“I’m proud to haul the tree again because the way the world is, it’s a time for celebration for the kids. And hopefully when the kids are feeling good, the parents are feeling good, and it dribbles down to the rest of the community,” said John Schank.

Additionally, the U.S. Capitol Christmas Tree journey provides FMCSA with a chance to celebrate and support the communities that play a vital role in road safety. We acknowledge the efforts of truck and bus drivers, transportation professionals, and local communities who prioritize road safety, and appreciate the hard work and dedication of those who contribute to safer roadways.

Washington Division Safety Investigators Eric Storer and Kenan Bennett conducted a full Level I inspection prior to the start of the journey across the lower 48. For the sixth year in a row, FMCSA field offices and Office of Outreach and Education travelled along the route to help educate communities about how to share the road safely with large trucks and buses.

Eric Storer, a Safety Investigator for the FMCSA Washington Division, inspects the truck carrying the tree while at a stop on the whistlestop tour in Seattle, Washington.
Eric Storer, a Safety Investigator for the FMCSA Washington Division, inspects the truck carrying the tree while at a stop on the whistlestop tour in Seattle, Washington.

“I’m proud to be part of this process. It was great to be part of the safety team and inspect the truck that’s carrying The People’s Tree all the way across the United States,” said Eric Storer, a Safety Investigator for the FMCSA Washington Division who inspected the truck carrying the tree while at a stop on the whistlestop tour in Seattle, Washington.

About the 2024 Tree

An annual symbol of hope and celebration, the 80-foot Sitka Spruce tree offers an opportunity to showcase Alaska’s majestic landscape, unique culture, rich traditions, diverse ecosystems, and abundant resources. The tree will symbolize Alaskans’ connection to the lands they call home, as well as the special relationships between our forests and the tribal communities, partners, and sponsors coming together to send this unique holiday gift to the U.S. Capitol.

This tree was selected by the Architect of the Capitol for its “unique Alaska style” — it is a very large tree at 80 feet tall and 37 feet wide, whereas most Capitol Christmas trees chosen are 20 to 25 feet wide at their canopy.

“There is no corner to hide a bad side and this tree was uniquely conical, uniquely perfect on all sides, and had that character that he was looking for that represented what Alaska is about,” said USDA Forest Service Silviculturist Tom Roland, who works in the Chugach National Forest and serves as the tree team lead for this year’s U.S. Capitol Christmas Tree.

USDA Forest Service Silviculturist Tom Roland (right) with the 13th Architect of the Capitol Thomas E. Austin (left) worked together to select this year’s tree from America’s largest national forest.
USDA Forest Service Silviculturist Tom Roland (right) with the 13th Architect of the Capitol Thomas E. Austin (left) worked together to select this year’s tree from America’s largest national forest.

The tree was selected from Zarembo Island, an uninhabited island off the southeast coast of Alaska, and was removed using a crane to lift it up and an excavator to free the root system. The tree never touched the ground after removal, as the equipment is then used to pick up the tree and turned on its side for its journey on the truck trailer. The tree then traveled by sea on three barges, from Zarembo Island to Wrangell to Ketchikan to Seattle, Washington, which is a total of about 750 miles. It will travel the remaining 3,000 miles by road.

For the tree to arrive in good health, the U.S. Forest Service had to be innovative in their approach, as spruce trees tend to drop their needles quickly if not watered, and the usual of method of transporting the tree with a bladder system would not last long enough for the tree’s journey. The U.S. Forest Service teamed up with T3, an Alaskan STEM education program, to devise a “life support system” that uses nozzles to mist the roots, similar to an aeroponic system.

Follow the Tree’s Journey

The Society of American Foresters and Alaska Geographic are also supporting a “whistlestop tour” to communities across the country as the tree is transported 4,000 miles from Wrangell, Alaska, to Washington, D.C. Tour dates, times and whistlestop locations can be found here.

After a harvest event in Wrangell, the tree and trailer were loaded onto a barge and sent to Ketchikan, Alaska’s “First City,” for the first event of the whistlestop tour.

Follow the 2024 U.S. Capitol Christmas Tree on its whistlestop tour.
Follow the 2024 U.S. Capitol Christmas Tree on its whistlestop tour.

The People’s Tree

The U.S. Capitol Christmas Tree initiative is a 54-year tradition in which one of America’s 154 national forests provides a tree for the West Lawn of the U.S. Capitol for the holiday season. The U.S. Capitol Christmas Tree — known as “The People’s Tree,” reflecting the nickname for the U.S. House of Representatives, “The People’s House” — adorns the West Lawn of the U.S. Capitol and has been selected each year since 1970 from a different National Forest. The project is made possible with support from partners including nonprofit organizations, cash and in-kind contributions from small businesses and large corporations, as well as volunteers throughout Alaska and across the United States.

Symbolizing Alaska’s National Forests and the theme, “Where Nature, People, and Tradition come together,” the logo highlights Alaska’s majestic landscape, unique culture, rich traditions, diverse ecosystems, and abundant resources. It also speaks to the deep connection Alaskans, especially Alaska Natives, have with the lands they call home.
Symbolizing Alaska’s National Forests and the theme, “Where Nature, People, and Tradition come together,” the logo highlights Alaska’s majestic landscape, unique culture, rich traditions, diverse ecosystems, and abundant resources. It also speaks to the deep connection Alaskans, especially Alaska Natives, have with the lands they call home. Artist Mike Hoyt was selected by the Wrangell Cooperative Association to design the traditional Alaska Native element that frames the majestic scene created by Shannon Holt, a Forest Service employee at the Chugach National Forest.

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FMCSA
FMCSA

Written by FMCSA

Our primary mission is to prevent crashes, injuries and fatalities involving large trucks and buses.

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