Local student picked the national Christmas tree

It's one of the most famous Christmas trees in the country and a former Polson student can take credit for the giant fir that will grace the lawn of the U.S. Capitol Building.

Jana Shinn, who was born in Polson and attended Cherry Valley elementary school, selected this year's Capitol Christmas tree and will present it to Dennis Hastert, Speaker of the House of Representatives, on Dec. 6 for the lighting ceremony. The tree will have 10,000 lights and 3,000 ornaments and will stand on the Capitol lawn until Jan. 1, 2007.

"I'm pretty excited, but it hasn't really hit me yet," Shinn said.

But once those lights are plugged in to illuminate that grand, 64-foot tall Pacific Silver Fir in front of the U.S. Capitol Building, she'll be able to really appreciate the tree she found in Washington state.

After Shinn graduated the University of Montana with a degree in geology, she landed a job as a timber sales administrator for the Olympic National Forest. Last spring, state forest employees were told to keep their eyes out for a Christmas tree grand enough to represent the nation's capital.

Outside administrating a sale, Shinn stumbled upon the regal fir.

"It was really symmetrical. It just fit into everything they were looking for," she said. "They wanted something pretty tall and this tree is about 65 feet."

Plus, it was accessible, only about 20 feet from the road where it would begin its tour across the state of Washington, before making its cross-country trek to Washington, D.C.

The tree will be transported by a specially designed, climate-control trailer to keep the tree fresh for its arrival. Prior to being placed on the trailer, it had to be carefully removed. Foresters were careful not to let the tree collapse. Using a crane and several straps, the fir was lifted vertically and placed upon the expandable trailer to accommodate the tree's unusual size.

"It was a real intricate process," Shinn said.

Shinn said about five trees were nominated for the honor, but her choice was selected by Ted Bechtol, Deputy Superintendent of Capitol Grounds.

She is helping continue a 22-year tradition started by John McCormack, who served as speaker of the House 40 years ago. The first tree was a live Douglas fir planted on the west front lawn of the U.S. Capitol.

That tree died in 1968. The tradition continued in 1969 by using a tree assembled from portions of three eastern white pines. It was a failed experiment. Since then, trees were brought in from a National Forest.

This is the first year the state of Washington has provided the Capitol Christmas tree.

The Capitol tree is not to be confused with the White House Christmas tree, which is also famous.

"It's really a honor. It's a really unique experience to be involved in," said Shinn, who is the daughter of Jerry and June Jorgenson.

"It's very exciting. We're very proud of her. It's an awesome thing," mom June said. "I keep telling her that it's a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity."