New Mexico spruce begins journey to be 2019 Christmas tree
![ASSOCIATED PRESS
The 2019 U.S. Capitol Christmas Tree tree cutting ceremony took place today, just on the east side of Red River, New Mexico. This years Capitol Christmas tree is a 60 foot tall, 68 year -old blue spruce, which was selected from the Questa Ranger District of the Carson National Forest.](https://staradvertiser.wpenginepowered.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/11/web1_9250518-6176b1639c0d47b0b70992f7a8b14196.jpg)
ASSOCIATED PRESS
The 2019 U.S. Capitol Christmas Tree tree cutting ceremony took place today, just on the east side of Red River, New Mexico. This year’s Capitol Christmas tree is a 60 foot tall, 68 year -old blue spruce, which was selected from the Questa Ranger District of the Carson National Forest.
RED RIVER, N.M. >> A 60-foot blue spruce was cut down today during a ceremony in a forested canyon in northern New Mexico, starting a 2½-week journey that will take it to the U.S. Capitol to be this year’s Christmas tree.
A sawyer used a chain saw to sever the trunk, which one of two cranes then jerked several feet up in the air. Then both cranes swung the tree over to a flatbed trailer at the Carson National Forest site.
The tree will tour New Mexico before leaving on a trip scheduled to conclude Nov. 24 at Joint Base Andrews outside Washington.
According to the project website , stops are scheduled in Texas, Louisiana, Georgia, Tennessee and Virginia.
Each year a national forest is selected to share a tree with the nation.