The Christmas tree that will stand in Rockefeller Center in midtown Manhattan for the 2022-23 holiday season is one that was grown in Queensbury.
Standing at 82 feet tall, 50 feet wide and weighing in at 14 tons, the approximately 90-year-old Norway Spruce was selected from a private property, not a tree stand.
It is arriving at Rockefeller Center in New York City on Nov. 12, according to center officials.
They said last year’s tree, from Maryland, was only 79 feet tall and weight 12 tons, but was decked out with 50,000 lights and topped with a star weighing 900 pounds.
This year’s spruce will be topped with a star made from 3 million Swarovski crystals, designed by architect Daniel Libeskind in 2018.
The iconic Rockefeller Center Christmas Tree tradition dates back to 1933 and has endured for eight decades as a catalyst for some metropolis holiday spirit.
The annual tree lighting ceremony will be televised on “Christmas at Rockefeller Center” on Nov. 30, courtesy of NBC at 8 p.m.
According to the center’s newsletter, Erik Pauze, the head gardener for Rockefeller Center who selects the tree every year said, “We found this year’s tree back in May. After that, I went up several times, as I do with all the other trees, to water it and feed it and measure it. Moving the Tree is an operation in and of itself that can take months to plan and execute—from wrapping each branch of the Tree so it doesn’t bend or snap to compressing the width down so it’s fit for travel.
“This year, someone sent me a photo of a tree in Glens Falls, New York, so I went to go check it out. On the way to go see it, I passed another tree in a vacant lot [in Queensbury], and thought to myself, ‘I need to come back to this tree.’ After I finished with the other tree, I went back, walked up and down both sides of the street, and took a few pictures. I then did some calling around to find out who the owner of the tree was and made an appointment to inspect it closer.”
He added, “when I saw it over the top of a couple of stores, I hoped the bottom looked as good as the top. When I got closer, I knew it was perfect. I figured, let’s get this one to Rockefeller Center.”
Rockefeller Center is a regular stop for people shopping in Manhattan. The ice skating rink that the tree overlooks is also a well-known attraction.