Holiday haul: delivering iconic Christmas trees

‘Tis the season that huge Christmas trees are being hauled and erected.

After arriving in Manhattan, the Bay Crane crew rigged the crane to the tree and installed it in place at Rockefeller Center. PHOTO: Bay Crane Companies

Two of the most prominent Christmas trees erected each year are the one at Rockefeller Center in New York City and the one at the U.S. Capitol in Washington, D.C. Both trees have interesting histories.

The tree at Rockefeller Center has already been erected and the lighting event will take place on December 3, 2025. Bay Crane has erected the Rockefeller tree many times, providing the crane work and operators. Torsilieri Inc. of New Jersey has hauled the Rockefeller tree for several years.

This year, in early November, Bay Crane dispatched its Liebherr LTM 1150 to the tree-cutting in East Greenbush, New York. The Norway Spruce is 75 feet tall, 45 feet in diameter and weighs 11 tons. Once the tree was cut down, Bay Crane crews lifted it up and onto Torsilieri’s 100-foot trailer.

In early November, Bay Crane dispatched its Liebherr LTM 1150 to the tree-cutting in East Greenbush, New York. The Norway Spruce is 75 feet tall, 45 feet in diameter and weighs 11 tons. Once the tree was cut down, Bay Crane crews lifted it up and onto Torsilieri’s 100-foot trailer. PHOTO: Bay Crane Companies

It was quite a site to see the tree hauled through the busy streets of Manhattan. Once at the Rockefeller Center site, The Bay Crane crew then rigged the crane to the tree and up righted it into its plywood stand.

The tree was donated as tribute to honor Dan Russ and Russ family members who passed, according to news reports.

The tree had been growing in the Russ family yard for more than 60 years, and they had hoped that one day it would end up as a Christmas tree at Rockefeller center. For more than 30 years, the head gardener at Rockefeller Center has been procuring the famous Christmas tree each year, looking at potential trees in New York and surrounding areas.

He had seen a photo of the Russ tree last year and knew it was a prime candidate for the 2025 tree. The Rockefeller Christmas Tree lighting has been a tradition since 1933, when a small tree was erected at the site. In the 90-plus years since, the Rockefeller tree lighting has been a signal that the holiday season has officially started.

More than 50,000 twinkling lights and hundreds of baubles and decorations are currently being added to the tree. Judy Russ and her seven-year-old son Liam will be at the ceremony to honor their late husband and father, respectively.

A long haul

The U.S. Capitol Christmas Tree tour officially began on November 1, 2025, with a special celebration at the Nevada Day Parade in Carson City. From there, well-wishers along the nearly 3,000-mile journey have been viewing the 53-foot red fir affectionately nicknamed “Silver Belle.” The tree is lashed on a trailer with banners attached to each side. The tour will conclude Nov. 20 when is delivered to the West Lawn of the U.S. Capitol Building.

J. Keller & Associates has sponsored and supported the journey of the tree, in partnership with the USDA Forest Service and the Society of American Foresters. The Society of American Foresters contacted J. J. Keller on behalf of the U.S. Capitol Christmas Tree Initiative in September for assistance with the Department of Transportation (DOT) permitting that is required to move the unique load along the nation’s roadways.

Freedom Crane Service hoisted the Capitol Christmas tree off the stump. A secondary hook was attached to get it horizontal to be loaded on the trailer. The tree was secured with ratchet straps, ensuring a travel width of no more than eight feet wide. The Red Fir tree measures 53 feet tall.

“Our permits team is honored to guide the tree and truck through 10 states and 14 whistlestop appearances,” said Mark Siebenaller, vice president of service operations at J. J. Keller. “We’re proud to help ensure safe transport of this national symbol.”

The 53-foot red fir was harvested in late October and travelled through Carson City, Nevada; Hooever Dam, Nevada; Flagstaff, Arizona; Albuquerque, New Mexico; Amarillo, Texas; Oklahoma City, Oklahoma; Lenexa, Kansas; St. Louis, Missouri; Paducah, Kentucky; Lexington, Kentucky; Chillicothe, Ohio; Eighty Four, Pennsylvania; and Joint Base Andrews, Maryland.

The stop in Chillicothe, Ohio on November 17 was significant in that it is the location of Kenworth Truck Company, where the Kenworth T680 truck hauling the tree was built. At this stop, Kenworth employees and local residents were able to see the tree before it becomes “the People’s Tree,” on Capitol Hill in Washington, D.C.

Kenworth provided the T680, sporting a newly installed graphics wrap. The truck’s design celebrates the “Spirit of the Silver State” with a background of the sunset overlooking Nevada’s National Forest.

The tree was lashed to the trailer using special saddles built for the more than 3,000 mile transport.

For the second year, real-time GPS location tracking of the U.S. Capitol Christmas tree will be provided by Kenworth’s TruckTech+ connected truck technology. The tree’s journey can be tracked via an interactive map on the U.S. Capitol Christmas Tree website. Knight-Swift was chosen as the hauler for this year’s tree at the recommendation of Kenworth Truck Company.

The harvest of the tree took place on October 24, 2025, by a team that included Freedom Crane Service. According to news reports, the tree was hoisted off the stump, and a secondary hook was attached to get it horizontal to be loaded on the trailer. The tree was secured with ratchet straps, ensuring a travel width of no more than eight feet wide. The Red Fir tree measures 53 feet tall.

The tree lighting ceremony will take place in early December.