Whitehouse Christmas Tree: 1999
Hedlund’s to Present Christmas Tree to The White House
On December 2, this 18 ½ foot Noble fir from Washington State will be presented to First Lady Hillary Rodham Clinton by Ed, Cindy and Thomas Hedlund. The Noble fir will grace The Blue Room of the White House throughout the holiday season where it will be viewed by thousands of visitors.
The Hedlund's grow Christmas Trees near Elma, Washington, about 30 miles west of Olympia. When Ed was 16 years old, he got a summer job on a farm and was first introduced to Christmas Tree farming. After completing high school, he attended Washington State University and received his Bachelor of Science Degree in Forestry Management. He has since been employed by Rayonier, Inc. for almost 25 years. Ed has been growing Christmas Trees on his own farm for about 20 years about the length of time it takes to raise a 20’ Christmas Tree.
Ed, his wife Cindy, and their son Thomas consider themselves to be "small growers" with 70,000 trees growing on 60+ acres. They sell the majority of their trees wholesale, but also have a choose and cut operation near their home. In addition to Noble firs, the Hedlunds grow Douglas-fir, Grand fir, Fraser fir, Canaan fir and Blue Spruce.
A Grand Champion Christmas Tree Grower from the National Christmas Tree Association has presented a Christmas Tree to the First Lady each year for the past 33 years. The Hedlund's will make the 34th annual presentation on December 2. To win this honor, a tree grower must take first place at his or her state or regional association contest and then must exhibit one of the top two trees at the national contest. The national contest is held every other year, so two co-Grand Champions are selected to present trees one the year of the contest and the other the following year.
The Hedlund's first competed at the national level in 1988, when Thomas was just 10 days old. In 1996 they reached the national level again, but it wasn’t meant to be that year. However in 1998, in Asheville, North Carolina, their dream finally came true. The Hedlund’s tree was named co-Grand Champion and they were on their way to The White House!
The tree that will grace The Blue Room of The White House was hand picked by The White House Chief Usher Gary Walters and Executive Groundskeeper Irv Williams. The Hedlund’s are also donating a Douglas-fir to the Clintons, which will be used in their private quarters.
The trees will be cut November 20th and loaded into a 53’ refrigerated truck to be transported "From Washington State to Washington, D.C." Refrigeration may not be necessary at this time of year, but the insulated walls of the refrigerated trailer will also insure that the tree won’t suffer any freeze damage if it encounters any harsh weather, particularly traveling through the Rocky Mountains.
The Blue Room Christmas Tree will make a stop in St. Louis to participate in the Mid-America Holiday Parade on Thanksgiving morning. The Hedlund’s aren’t riding across the country with the tree, but they plan to be in St. Louis to ride on the float with it. Watch for parade coverage on NBC stations in 20 major Midwestern cities.
After the parade, it will be loaded back on the truck to finish the trek to Washington D.C. Transportation is being donated by Interstate Distributor Company, based in Tacoma, Washington.
The presentation will take place on December 2. The tree will be set up in The Blue Room later that day and will be ready for viewing that weekend. The decorating scheme at The White House is different each year and is a closely held secret until the initial viewing. Even the Hedlund’s will have to wait to see what type of decorations will go on their tree.
