A 74-foot Lutz spruce tree is making its way from Alaska’s Chugach National Forest to adorn the west lawn of the U.S. Capitol building, ferried along by more than half a million dollars in corporate donations.

“The way that the Capitol Christmas Tree operates is with a significant amount of private-sector support,” said Bruce Ward, president of Choose Outdoors, a nonprofit that solicits and coordinates donations for the annual project. Nearly $500,000 of that comes from “in-kind” donations — the truck to transport it, and the driver’s time, fuel, hotel rooms and cranes, Ward said.

Certified Forest Service employee Dan Osborn cut down the tree on Oct. 27, with help from Alaska Crane and its operators.

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