Montana’s Capitol Christmas tree harvested near Seeley • Daily Montanan

Most years, the tallest Christmas tree harvested in Montana, as far as the Daily Montanan is aware, takes up residence under the Capitol rotunda in Helena for the holiday season, towering nearly three stories tall and adorned with more than 3,500 lights.

On Monday, as Gov. Greg Gianforte looked on, foresters felled this year’s Capitol Christmas tree in the Lolo National Forest.

Near Seeley Lake, a Good Neighbor Authority project between the state Department of Natural Resources and Conservation and the U.S. Forest Service provided an active forest management site to harvest the Douglas Fir that will serve as the state’s Christmas tree, all while contributing to the health of the forest.

“Each year, it’s a privilege to bring a tree from our public lands into the state capitol for all to enjoy,” Gianforte said in a statement. “Through the Good Neighbor Authority, the State of Montana and the Forest Service work together to actively manage our forests and improve their health. This year’s tree is an example of the good work happening to reduce fire risk in Montana.”

A spokesperson for the governor’s office said they didn’t know how tall the Douglas Fir was, but will have a better idea once it’s installed in the rotunda.

The Capitol Christmas tree is selected from a different parcel of public land around the state each year. Similarly, the U.S. Capitol in Washington, D.C., displays a Christmas tree harvested from a different National Forest each year. The last tree from Montana — a 79-foot tall Engelmann Spruce from the Kootenai National Forest — was selected in 2017.

This year, a 53-foot red fir named Silver Belle all the way from the Humboldt-Toiyabe National Forest in Nevada arrived in D.C. over the weekend to become the nation’s Capitol Christmas Tree.

Montana has a long history of producing commercial Christmas trees.

At its height in the middle of the last century, northwest Montana was shipping more than 4 million trees to homes around the country, earning the town of Eureka the nickname “Christmas Tree Capital of the World.”

Now, Montana doesn’t rank in the top 20 states for growing commercial trees, with just 6,338 cultivated trees harvested in 2022, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture.

However, following the governor’s lead, Montanans are able to harvest trees from the state’s vast public lands — data that is not available from state or federal agencies — creating a tradition for many Montana families.

The 2025 State Capitol Christmas tree will displayed in the Capitol rotunda throughout the holiday season. The governor and first lady invite Montanans to join them at the Capitol for a tree lighting ceremony on Monday, Dec. 1, at 5 p.m.

The governor encourages Montanans to participate in the unique tradition of harvesting Christmas trees from public lands to benefit forest health and resiliency as well as improve wildlife habitat.

Cutting any trees on state trust land requires a permit from the local DNRC field office. The cost is $10 per tree. To find a local DNRC field office to secure a permit in person to harvest a Christmas tree, see the map here.

Montanans can also harvest trees from National Forest land with a $5 permit, though some restrictions on height and species apply to trees from federal land.

Forest Service permits can be obtained online by visiting recreation.gov and searching “Christmas tree” and the forest you plan to cut it from, i.e. “Flathead National Forest, Lolo National Forest.”