December 2, 2022

AZ Capitol Christmas tree keeps forest healthy

The state used a tree that was part of a thinning project.

AZ Capitol Christmas Tree 2022 Crews with the Arizona Dept. of Forestry load a tree for the Capitol building.
AZ. Dept. of Forestry/Twitter

The Christmas tree on display at the State Capitol this year will come from the state’s efforts to reduce wildfires, according to the Arizona Department of Forestry and Fire Management.

Instead of scouting the forest and tagging a random tree like usual, the department says this tree was already tagged for removal as part of a fuel reduction program in the Coconino National Forest.

According to the department’s website, fuel reduction projects are funded by the state to help reduce the risk of wildfires by clearing diseased vegetation, invasive species, and dense fuel.

The fuel reduction project that found the Christmas tree was a joint partnership between the department, Coconino National Forest, and SRP, according to Tiffany Davila, Public Affairs Officer for the Department of Forestry and Fire Management.

The tree will be decorated and on display at the Arizona State Capitol building in Phoenix throughout the holidays.

By posting comments, you agree to our
AZPM encourages comments, but comments that contain profanity, unrelated information, threats, libel, defamatory statements, obscenities, pornography or that violate the law are not allowed. Comments that promote commercial products or services are not allowed. Comments in violation of this policy will be removed. Continued posting of comments that violate this policy will result in the commenter being banned from the site.

By submitting your comments, you hereby give AZPM the right to post your comments and potentially use them in any other form of media operated by this institution.
AZPM is a service of the University of Arizona and our broadcast stations are licensed to the Arizona Board of Regents who hold the trademarks for Arizona Public Media and AZPM. We respectfully acknowledge the University of Arizona is on the land and territories of Indigenous peoples.
The University of Arizona