ST. PAUL, Minn. -- The Minnesota Department of Natural Resources has harvested a 44-foot balsam fir to grace the front lawn of the Governor's mansion on St. Paul's Summit Avenue for the holiday season.
The DNR with help from the Minnesota Conservation Corps took the tree from the Nemadji State Forest. That's located 115 miles northeast of St. Paul along the Minnesota-Wisconsin border.
The hunt for the governor's tree begins in early fall when DNR foresters scout potential candidates from Minnesota's 58 state forests. DNR forestry technician Tim Brault says it's no easy task to find a perfect specimen growing in the wild. Foresters look for a tree with 30-35 feet of usable trunk, symmetrical branches and no noticeable gaps.
A crew will start setting up the tree on Monday morning.
(Copyright 2009 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)
