The tree going up on the West Front Lawn of the U.S. Capitol this December is a 76-foot Engelmann spruce from the Lochsa-Powell Ranger District. The forests it comes from are run from 1008 Highway 64 in Kamiah, home of the Nez Perce-Clearwater National Forests' supervisor's office. The trailer that will carry the tree was parked in Kamiah by early summer. The ornaments started on a craft table in Kamiah. The crew taking it east comes from the same forest. On Sunday, Nov. 1, the tree comes back through town for a free public stop. Kamiah is a pretty logical place for that send-off.
The Trailer Got Here First
At the end of June, the Idaho County Free Press visited the Kamiah office of the Nez Perce-Clearwater and talked with forestry technician Tracey Hasz about getting ready for the tour.
"We have the trailer here and the equipment to start building around it," Hasz said.
Hasz explained that because the tree is so big, crews will build an enclosure around the trailer and fit it to the load after the harvest. She also said she had been picked for the crew that will take the tree across the country. The round trip runs about three and a half weeks, and only Nez Perce-Clearwater employees will staff it.
"It'll be really fun," Hasz said. "We're gonna have all sorts of little things to set up at each whistle stop."
The ornaments got started in the same building. Every Friday afternoon from 1 to 4 p.m., the Kamiah USFS office set out craft supplies for anyone who wanted to make an ornament for the tree. On June 26, Hasz helped about half a dozen or more children and adults at that table. The overall goal is big. The official program asked for 10,000 handmade ornaments. About 3,500 are for the outdoor Capitol tree and 6,500 are for smaller trees placed in federal offices. Submissions closed Sept. 1, 2026. Back in April, the Forest Service also asked partners for 50 tree skirts.
The Architect of the Capitol's official who came out for the tree selection said the Idaho ornaments include fish, wildlife, sunsets, mountains, trees and landscapes, some made of stained glass. He made one himself before flying home.
The Tree Going East Is the Backup
The first tree announced was a different one. In its Aug. 13 release, the Forest Service named an 80-foot grand fir on the Salmon River Ranger District. By September the plan had changed. In an editor's note on the Architect of the Capitol's selection blog, the grand fir "began showing signs of needlecast disease," a problem that yellows the needles and would have kept the tree from arriving healthy in Washington, D.C.
The replacement is the 76-foot Engelmann spruce from Lochsa-Powell. That district's office is at 502 Lowry Street in Kooskia. The swap was always an option. The program's own update says the Architect of the Capitol and the Forest Service "always identify 2–3 backup trees in case of illness or wildfire." The spruce is set to be harvested in "late October." As of early October, no exact cutting date or public harvest event had been announced.
With the swap, the tree now comes from the district run out of Kooskia, while the project is still managed from the headquarters on Highway 64.
Idaho's Earlier Trees Came From Farther South
Idaho has sent a tree to the Capitol before. Here are the Idaho entries on the Architect of the Capitol's list of past trees:
| Year | Species | Height | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2003 | Engelmann spruce | 65 feet | Boise National Forest |
| 2016 | Engelmann spruce | 80 feet | Payette National Forest |
| 2026 | Engelmann spruce | 76 feet | Nez Perce-Clearwater National Forests |
All three Idaho trees are Engelmann spruce, and this year's is the first on the list from the Nez Perce-Clearwater. A note for anyone who remembers a 2008 Idaho tree: the Architect of the Capitol lists the 2008 tree as a subalpine fir from Montana's Bitterroot National Forest.
The Forest Service calls the program a 56-year tradition. This year's nonprofit partner is the Society of American Foresters, and Idaho Forest Group is the presenting sponsor. Kenworth and Hale Trailer appear among the program's Diamond sponsors.
The Route Ends Its Idaho Loop in Kamiah
In June, the Free Press reported that the tour would start with a public event in Kamiah. The official route, released Oct. 1, puts Grangeville first. After that, the tree loops through north-central Idaho and then heads east:
- Thursday, Oct. 29: Grangeville
- Friday, Oct. 30: Lewiston
- Saturday, Oct. 31: Moscow
- Sunday, Nov. 1: Orofino and Kamiah
- Tuesday, Nov. 3: Lolo, Montana
- Wednesday, Nov. 4: Salmon
- Thursday, Nov. 5: Craters of the Moon National Monument and Twin Falls
- Friday, Nov. 6: Idaho Falls
After Idaho the tree goes to Gardiner, Montana; Sheridan, Wyoming; Custer and Mitchell, South Dakota; Albert Lea, Minnesota; Peoria, Illinois; Richmond, Indiana; Morgantown, West Virginia; and Hagerstown, Maryland, and Littlestown, Pennsylvania. Its last stop is Joint Base Andrews in Maryland on Nov. 19, and that stop is limited to people with military ID. That makes Kamiah's Nov. 1 stop the last community event on the forest's home ground before the tree leaves the region.
The community festivities are free and open to the public. People can see and photograph the tree and its truck, sign the banner, buy official merchandise, and learn about the Nez Perce-Clearwater and Idaho. The Kamiah time, venue and host had not been announced yet. The Oct. 1 release said partners would finalize event details over the following weeks, and an Oct. 5 Dailyfly report still listed the details as pending. The Forest Service's route announcement points people to uscapitolchristmastree.com for updates.
The lighting date in Washington is still open as well. The Architect of the Capitol says the ceremony usually falls in the last week of November or the first week of December, with the 2026 date to be announced this fall.
A Full Weekend on Main Street Before the Tree Arrives
The tree arrives on the Sunday after Halloween, so the Nov. 1 stop comes at the end of a busy Kamiah weekend. Here's what's already on the calendar:
- Friday, Oct. 30: a downtown costume contest at the Main Street fire station at 3 p.m., with trick-or-treating at local businesses from 3 to 5 p.m. A Halloween cake walk in front of the firehouse that day raises money for KYRA Youth Sports.
- Saturday, Oct. 31: a free children's mask-making class at River Arts Kamiah, 416 Main St., from 10 a.m. to noon, led by Meghan Boyle. That evening, The Life Center Church holds a trunk-or-treat at 4432 U.S. Highway 12 from 5 to 7 p.m.
- Sunday, Nov. 1: the Capitol Christmas Tree stop, with time and venue to be announced.
The Kamiah Chamber calendar carries the holidays into December. UYLC's Old Fashioned Christmas Show is on Dec. 4, and the Elf Workshop and Kamiah Christmas Light Parade are on Dec. 5. The Chamber says its dates and times can change, so check with each event's sponsor before you go. If the Capitol lighting lands in the first week of December, it could fall the same week as the light parade.
The Capitol tree project is a good example of how much of this area's work runs through people and offices right here. If you have questions about land near the Nez Perce-Clearwater or anything else about property in Kamiah, Cody and B Edwards are glad to help. Contact Us.
