The Nevada Air National Guard in Reno is set to unveil a 53-foot Nevada-grown red fir Christmas tree, which will be transported across the country to the U.S. Capitol Building for the holiday season. The tree, sourced from the Carson Ranger District, was temporarily housed at the Guard’s Reno base and moved on Sunday to be decorated before embarking on a whistle-stop tour through Nevada and beyond.
The tree will make an appearance at the Nevada Day Parade in Carson City on Saturday before continuing its journey east. This annual tradition, known as the U.S. Capitol Christmas Tree initiative, has been held for 55 years, with a different national forest providing a tree for the West Lawn of the U.S. Capitol each year.
Jim Kaufmann, executive director of Capitol grounds and arboretum at the architect of the Capitol, chose this year’s tree from nine candidates identified by U.S. Forest Service staff in northern Nevada’s Carson Ranger District and the Spring Mountains National Recreation Area near Las Vegas. Kaufmann described the selection as a great honor and highlighted the red fir’s suitability for the Capitol display due to its blue-green upward-pointing needles and dense, sturdy branches—qualities ideal for holding ornaments.
The tree represents the Humboldt-Toiyabe National Forest and Nevada for the 2025 holiday season, showcasing the region’s natural beauty on a national stage.