Ruby the Red Spruce from North Carolina will be the US Capitol Christmas Tree.

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By MARTHA QUILLIN, The News & Observer

The US Forest Service came close to finding the answer to the age-old riddle: “If you cut down a 78-foot Christmas tree live on Facebook and mute the sound so no one can hear it, will it still be the beginning? of the Christmas season?

But just in time, the live audio connection was restored and the sound of a Stihl chainsaw drew an online audience of hundreds back into action as Ruby, the great red spruce, was ceremoniously cut down.

Previously, climbers had attached ropes from a crane near the top of the tree, so that when the blade cut the last splinters from Ruby’s trunk, the spruce leapt several feet into the air, dangling like one of thousands of ornaments. handmade with which it will later be adorned.

It’s going to be a busy holiday season for Ruby, who will spend a couple of weeks on the road, making more than a dozen stops in North Carolina and Virginia on her way to becoming the US Capitol Christmas Tree in 2022.

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“We’ve got liftoff,” the Forest Service cameraman said as the cut was complete and the tree broke free and crews on the Haywood County hillside yelled as if Santa’s sleigh had left the ground.

THIRD NC TREE IN THE CAPITOL

In North Carolina, the nation’s second-largest producer of Christmas trees, the start of the annual harvest season is as welcome as a visit from old Santa. While North Carolina has provided the Christmas trees for the White House 14 times, more than any other state, this is only the state’s third tree to serve in the nation’s Capitol since the tradition was launched there in 1964.

More than 850 growers in North Carolina grow about 50 million trees on more than 38,000 acres, according to the state growers association. The US Department of Agriculture reports that in 2019, North Carolina growers sold more than $67 million worth of Christmas trees, mostly Fraser, Douglas, Balsam, Grand, Noble and Nordmann firs, along with white pine and Scotch and Colorado Blue Spruce.

Ruby stands out for both its species and its spectacular size.

Norway spruce were once much more common in the southern Appalachian forests, but began to disappear as a result of logging in the late 19th century. Fires have also wreaked havoc, and at higher elevations, botanists say a combination of insects, disease and air pollution may have prevented trees from repopulating.

Therefore, the selection of Ruby as the tree that will grace the West Lawn of the US Capitol is an opportunity to advocate for the revival of the red spruce. The US Forest Service and the National Forest Foundation are raising money to build a state-of-the-art nursery to grow Norway Spruce seedlings, including some from harvested Ruby cones, for use in reforestation work.

RUBY’S JOURNEY TO WASHINGTON

The Forest Service has contributed $50,000 and the National Forest Foundation is raising another $200,000.

The nonprofit Southern Highlands Preserve will manage the new nursery and plans to plant 50,000 red spruce trees on public lands in North Carolina, Tennessee and Virginia with help from The Nature Conservancy and the US Fish and Wildlife Service. .

The tree is expected to arrive on the Capitol grounds on November 15. Nine-year-old Catcuce Micco Tiger, known as “Car,” a Cherokee fourth grader and member of the Eastern Band of Cherokee, will flip the switch to turn on the tree.

When the festivities are over, the ruby ​​wood will be used to make musical instruments that, when played, will make sounds whether or not anyone else hears them.

Copyright 2022 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

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