With the holiday season upon us, Philly is decking the (city) halls with holiday flair. But where do you find a 50′ high holiday tree to place in front of City Hall? When do you start searching for it? And how do you measure it? Inquiring minds want to know…
Big tree hunter
October 7 was a dreary, cold autumn day. As the clock struck 8:00 a.m., Philadelphia Parks & Recreation’s Director of Urban Forestry Lori Hayes and Deputy Commissioner for Operations Susan Buck set out on a mission. They were off to find the perfect evergreen tree for display on the north side of Philadelphia’s City Hall. And it had to be at least 50′ tall.
Lori has experience as a “big tree hunter.” In her previous roles with Parks & Rec and its predecessor the Fairmount Park Commission, she’d found trees for parks around the city. She also helped choose the City’s official tree when it was installed in City Hall courtyard. Those trees were often donated to the City by property owners. Many of them found that a small sapling planted 40 or 60 years ago had become an unwieldy giant in their yard.
But trees as large as the one needed for City Hall are very hard to find. Lori knew from an earlier expedition that the nursery the city used in northeastern Pennsylvania didn’t have trees taller than 40′. Sue and Lori had to head to western New York state to find what they were looking for.
Yule find this interesting
After a five and a half hour drive, they arrived at Yule Tree Farms in Hornell, New York. This 2,500 acre “conifer plantation” specializes in large trees. Sue and Lori truly got in the weeds on this assignment— they needed to trudge through waist-high meadows to access some of the trees. And it was raining.
According to Lori, the perfect holiday tree for City Hall should be:
- uniform in shape
- taller than 50 feet
- a vibrant, rich green
- both tall and wide
- perfect from all angles, not just the front
- strong, with branches to hold large-scale decorations.
To help find the right tree, a nursery worker followed Lori and Susan with a telescoping pole that measures tree height. The pole was 50 feet, and Lori was ecstatic to find a tree that was a few feet taller. After more than two hours of searching, Lori and Susan found a tree that fit their standards.
To make sure the tree was flawless required using a drone. The company that decorates the city’s tree, Proof Productions, provided one. As Lori explained, “nursey workers flew it to the tippy-top of the tree to inspect its crown and tallest branches. Trees are just like people, they have many sides. They check the entire tree to make sure there is no yellowing or bareness.”
The selected white fir tree is approximately 55 feet tall and over 50 years old. Lori knows they’ve found a great tree that people will be proud to see in front of City Hall. “When you physically walk around it, see it, and feel it, you know this tree is better than the rest. It’s like a wedding dress– you know it’s the one!” Lori says.
Then what?
The tree was tagged, and Lori and Susan left, mission complete. Next, the tree was harvested close to the November 18 delivery date. A temporary road was created to access the tree. It was cut and loaded onto a 63′ flatbed trailer, and its journey from New York to Philadelphia began.
The tree on its trailer (left) and as it was hoisted into its base (right). Credit: Office of the City Representative.
The tree arrived at City Hall after rush hour on November 18. It was greeted by City officials, the media, and several area mascots, including the Wawa Turkey and a reindeer from Christmas Village. After some photo opportunities, the base of the tree was prepared by Parks & Rec’s Regional Arborist Dan Dolan.
Sautter Crane Rental donated use of a crane large enough to hoist onto its custom-made base. The base, which acts as a giant flower vase of sorts, is decorated with Philadelphia neighborhood names and landmarks.
Over the next few weeks, the tree will be decorated in preparation for the City of Philadelphia Holiday Tree Lighting Celebration on Wednesday, December 4 from 5 p.m.-7 p.m.
Even though Philadelphians celebrate the holidays in different ways, the City Hall tree is a unifying tradition. Thanks to Susan, Lori, Dan, and all the City staff who helped make the display possible!
