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2009 Capitol Christmas Tree to be Protected with Moisturin and Root-Zone Christmas Tree Preservative
GSI Horticultural has the honor of protecting this year's Capitol Christmas Tree. An 85-foot blue spruce tree was selected from the White Mountains of Arizona. The tree is still standing and its location will remain a secret, but soon it will be cut by the National Forest Service and begin its journey to the US Capitol. As part of a team tasked with protecting and caring for the tree, GSI Horticultural is providing its anti-transpirant, Moisturin, to prevent water-loss stress on its trip east. The blue spruce will also be aided by an application of GSI’s Root-Zone, which will be added to the trees water source for a three-week journey as it tours Arizona, the US, then finally ends up on the west front lawn of the U.S. Capitol.
On July 19th Superintendent of U.S. Capitol Grounds, Ted Bechtol selected the 2009 U.S. Capitol Christmas Tree—a day which also marks the 100th anniversary when conservationist Aldo Leopold arrived on the Apache National Forest to work for the US Forest Service. The winning tree is located in the White Mountains of Arizona on the Apache-Sitgreaves National Forests. This will be the first time Arizona has provided the Capitol Christmas Tree. Finding the “perfect” tree is no easy task. Bechtol, who has selected the Capitol Christmas Tree for the last four years, explains some of the characteristics he looks for in a choice tree, “it has to have a straight trunk, dense branches, and an overall conical shape. The most important thing to keep in mind is that the tree will be viewed from every angle so it has to have an overall uniform appearance. In addition, the tree needs to be healthy enough to hold up during the long journey to Washington D.C.”
To help keep the tree healthy, National Forest Service officials will spray the tree twice with Moisturin before it's cut. Then in early November it will be felled and transported on a flatbed truck for display around its native state of Arizona, then it will be paraded through numerous cities on its way to Washington D.C. Along the way, the tree is expected to "drink" up to 65-gallons each day of a Root-Zone and water solution that is administered via a rubber boot that the tree wears around its trunk.
Click here to follow the journey of the 2009 Capitol Christmas Tree at Arizona's official Capitol Tree website.
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