Capitol Christmas Tree Arrives in Washington From Alaska
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A massive spruce tree that came to life in an Alaskan forest during former President Ronald Reagan’s White House days has arrived on a new flatbed trailer after a 4,293-mile journey to Washington, accompanied by two veteran truck drivers from Lynden Transport.
Lynden ranks No. 37 on the Transport Topics Top 100 list of the largest for-hire carriers in North America.
Alaskans Fred Austin and John Schank drove the tree cross-country on a Kenworth T680 tractor and a new customized 82-foot flatbed trailer for its Nov. 23 arrival at its final destination.
The rainforest Alaskan Sitka spruce, native to the state, was harvested Oct. 19 from the Tongass National Forest. Dubbed the world’s largest spruce species, the tree is a gift from a partnership between the Tongass National Forest and the Society of American Foresters.
The U.S. Capitol Christmas Tree has made it to the Capitol! Thank you to every person who contributed to making sure the tree arrived safely, and a special thanks to John and Fred for being a great driving team! pic.twitter.com/Uymiq7jkan — Lynden (@LyndenInc) November 25, 2024
“Our silviculturist put the age of the tree at 39 years old. They grow big and fast in southeast Alaska,” Brandon Raile, U.S. Forest Service spokesperson from the Chugach National Forest, said in an email.
This year’s Capitol Christmas Tree is part of a tradition that took root after Christmas Eve in 1923 with President Calvin Coolidge establishing a National Christmas Tree Lighting Ceremony with a fir from Vermont. That year, 2,500 red, white and green light bulbs adorned the first National Christmas Tree.
This year, the tree will shine from dusk until 11 p.m. starting Dec. 3 to Jan. 1 at the West Front Lawn of the U.S. Capitol.
Lynden Transport’s sister company, Alaska Marine Lines, shipped the tree on a barge from Alaska to Seattle, where the truckers took over the job of bringing it on a national tour to Washington.
100+ years of driving experience and 10+ million safe driving miles.
John Schank and Fred Austin of @LyndenInc are truck driving legends. Together, they delivered this year's U.S. Capitol Christmas Tree 4,000 miles from Alaska to D.C. pic.twitter.com/oe5EMbXunT — American Trucking (@TRUCKINGdotORG) November 24, 2024
Lynden carried another Capitol Christmas Tree from Alaska nearly a decade ago, and Schank was one of those drivers.
“We are proud that we are again being entrusted with the delivery of the tree and supporting the U.S. Capitol Christmas Tree Tour with our legendary drivers, John Schank and Fred Austin, both from our Fairbanks Service Center,” company President Paul Grimaldi said.
Making a List
The Architect of the Capitol selects the tree each year according to strict criteria:
Height: The tree needs to be 65-85 feet in height.
Shape: The tree needs a perfect conical shape. Unlike Christmas trees placed in many living room corners, the Capitol Christmas Tree will be viewed from all sides.
Characteristics: The tree must possess typical tree characteristics for that species as well as a straight stem, uniform branching, natural density, and a good rich color.
Ornaments: The tree requires 3,500 large ornaments made from lightweight and durable materials. The 2024 ornaments will be made by Alaskans across the state.
A longtime professional driver, Schank was recognized as Driver of the Year in 2014 and 2017 by the Alaska Trucking Association and was commended for almost 40 years of accident-free driving over the dangerous, isolated Dalton Highway (from Fairbanks to Prudhoe Bay).
“At that time, Schank had logged 5 million miles on the highway. Since then, he has logged an additional 1.1 million miles — all accident free,” according to Lynden Transport.
“It was my honor to carry the tree across the country in 2015, and I’m grateful to get another opportunity in 2024,” Schank noted.
Austin has worked for Lynden since 1974. Currently a Lynden Training Center driver trainer and mentor in Fairbanks, he became the oldest person to take the instructor training test in Alaska when he was 79 in 2015. “I’m excited to be a part of this important project and look forward to meeting new friends along the way,” Austin said.
The trailer they pulled is specially built for the Capitol Christmas Tree. It had to be reconfigured by U.S. Forest Service personnel with new wood panels and other wooden parts due to wear and tear.
The job required 100 gallons of sealant to cover 15,000 square feet of wood, which must be protected since the trailer is exposed to many different conditions and temperatures, a statement from trailer sponsor U-C Coatings noted.
“The custom wood panel enclosure is specially designed to be assembled to encapsulate the tree after loading while the steel trailer is fully extended,” the company added.
The steel trailer is created to extend in length from 60 feet to about 80 feet to accommodate different heights of Christmas trees, which are selected each year from one of America’s 154 national forests.
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