- Hello, I'm Beth Macmillan, and welcome to "ARTEFFECTS".

Since 1970, the U.S.

Forest Service has provided a Christmas tree for the West Lawn of the U.S.

Capitol in Washington, DC.

This year, and for the first time ever, the U.S.

Capitol Christmas Tree came from Nevada, from the Humboldt-Toiyabe National Forest.

To commemorate the occasion, countless Nevadans created thousands upon thousands of ornaments to adorn the tree, called "Silver Belle," in a beautiful show of artistry and state pride.

(gentle music) - The Humboldt-Toiyabe National Forest is the largest national forest in the lower 48 states of the United States.

6.3 million acres across major mountain ranges in Nevada, and then also a portion in the Eastern Sierra Nevada in California.

We have over 15 different conifer species across Nevada, across the Humboldt-Toiyabe National Forest.

Since 1970, the U.S.

Forest Service provides the Capitol Christmas Tree to be on the West Lawn of the U.S.

Capitol.

We were offered this opportunity a couple years ago.

We raised our hand, and this is the first time that the Humboldt-Toiyabe National Forest and Nevada will be providing the Capitol Christmas Tree.

(charming music) Looking for that perfect Christmas tree, we had many opportunities to look at all of our different conifers, and where we're considering the 6 million acres of the Humboldt-Toiyabe National Forest, we had to narrow that down to places where there was road access for tree harvest.

The red fir that we selected is a 53-foot tall red fir, and it's about 18 feet wide.

Beautiful stout branching, silver tip, upright nature of what a red fir looks like really highlights the beauty of our trees that we have here in Nevada.

The tree is a symbol of our national forest lands, of our public lands.

This is our chance to showcase what Nevada national forests have to offer to Nevadans and the American people.

(charming music) So we started out this last January with coming up with a theme, and that theme is "Starry Skies to Neon Lights: Spirit of the Silver State."

That process, that effort to come up with a theme, really encapsulates all Nevada.

Encapsulates the rural nature, our communities, our ranches, our smaller communities, the outdoors, to then the metropolitan areas of Las Vegas and Reno with the neon lights.

So we have Humboldt-Toiyabe National Forest captured, stars in the logo, and then a little bit of our Nevada heritage, a neon ponderosa pine in the logo as well.

- So we get to make 10,000 ornaments for the Capitol Christmas Tree.

(playful music) We are working with our partners and our local communities, our nonprofits and our school districts, as well as the counties.

NDF, they have been cutting tree cookies for us.

So a tree cookie specifically is just a branch or the bole of the tree that has been cut into small slices like this.

And so the fun thing about cookies is you can get the age of the tree using dendrochronology, and so you can count the tree rings.

So we've been bringing these cookies into our classrooms and get a little bit of conservation education in there as well as make a fun ornament for the tree.

We're looking for natural, recyclable, upcycled materials to make ornaments with, and that can be, you know, pine cones, or it can be popsicle sticks or basswood cut into the shape of Nevada.

So the possibilities are really endless.

- We are so excited about the U.S.

Capitol Christmas Tree project.

When we were given the opportunity with working with the U.S.

Forest Service, who's one of our great federal partners, we decided that this was a historic opportunity that we did not want to pass up on.

And so excited to bring people and community together through a different kind of project that highlights nature, outdoor recreation, stewardship, and conservation.

And it was just a great opportunity to bring communities together.

We have donated about $1,500 in supplies for schools, rec centers, the senior center down in Douglas County.

We have found ways to communicate that outreach and provide ornament opportunities where maybe they didn't have the money to do the projects so that they could participate in this historic event for the state.

Nevada Division of Outdoor Recreation is tasked with preservation of dark skies across the state.

And so this ornament was an opportunity to show how important dark sky preservation is to wildlife and to people's mental health and well-being, and that this is actually part of our NRS code.

And so we always want to promote dark sky preservation, and so my ornament was one way to do that.

(charming music) - The ornaments coming in are so much fun.

It sounds cliche, but it truly has been like Christmas every day because when we get an ornament dropped off in the office, or, you know, some kids are having birthday parties and they're having their friends make ornaments for the tree, and then they drop 'em off with us.

And so it's been at all spectrums of, you know, big large community events and then those small events where friends are just getting together and making ornaments.

There's just so much variation, which makes it so fun.

We've seen aliens, we've seen showgirls.

- Kids are making skis, and with the pine cones they're making cows and sheep that represent the agriculture in our state.

- You name it, we've seen it.

One ornament that we are seeing a lot of is the state outline of Nevada.

And so I did let the Architect of the Capitol know that there will be a lot of Nevada shapes on that tree, and he loved it.

He thought it was great 'cause Nevadans are really proud.

And so that is definitely coming through in the ornaments.

(bright music) It doesn't matter what level of artist you are, we accept everyone at all levels.

You know, from two years old to a hundred years old, we have had events where people have sat with us for an hour and a half making three ornaments or even making one ornament, just pouring all of their time and energy and what they love about Nevada the most into their ornament.

And then in the classrooms, it's a shorter period of time, but those students are still taking their time meticulously, picking which colors they want to use and being patient, waiting for that one color that they have in their mind.

The response from the individuals making ornaments has been the best part, truly, because going into the classrooms and talking to the students one-on-one about the importance of public lands and how special the forest is.

And so that's been truly the best part, is just connecting people to the Forest Service and specifically the Humboldt-Toiyabe.

(energetic music) Our tree skirts is a whole 'nother exciting part of the project.

We get to make four large tree skirts.

One is for the main indoor tree that will be in the Whitten Building in DC, and so that tree skirt is 15-foot diameter, which is massive.

We reached out to the Quilters Guild in Las Vegas.

They have about 300-plus members in that quilting guild.

They're working together and making a panel, and then they'll be sewing all those panels together to make a large skirt.

And then we have three other larger skirts that are 12 feet in diameter.

One of those skirts will be made by the Nevada Association of Counties, and so each county across the state took on a panel, so we'll have a large skirt representing all of the counties across Nevada.

And then the Humboldt-Toiyabe National Forest employees are making a 12-foot skirt as well.

And so they will represent the Humboldt-Toiyabe, the multiple uses that we have, and just kind of the things that we love about the forest, and that will come through on our tree skirt.

(uplifting music) - Nevada is known for many things, being a very art-focused state, not just with Burning Man.

We also have museums that highlight our art and our heritage, and so we wanted to bring those elements into the mix.

Our deep history and culture, as well as our natural resources, our wildlife, our plants, all those things encapsulate what we're trying to highlight, bringing in imagery of all those things into ornament making events and our tree skirts.

We wanna showcase to Nevadans and for the Whistlestop Tour as well.

- The Whistlestop Tour is basically a three-week-long tour of taking the tree from Nevada all the way to Washington, DC.

- During the Whistlestop Tour, we want the public to come out and see the tree, take photos, see Smokey Bear, gather information on what the Humboldt-Toiyabe National Forest is about, and then also "The People's Tree" for the Americans.

(charming music) The 2025 U.S.

Capitol Christmas Tree from Nevada will be lit December 2nd on the West Lawn of the U.S.

Capitol.

- I cannot wait for the lighting of the Christmas tree.

I think it will be like Christmas morning and running down the stairs to see all the presents under the tree.

But this time we'll get to see the Capitol Christmas Tree light up.

- You know, my kids will be there, my husband will be there, and their support means everything to me.

And so I can't wait to share that moment with them, but also my coworkers and the team that I got to work on this project with.

- [Group] 3, 2, 1!

- [Member] There you go.

(group cheering) - The tree lighting ceremony itself is really the icing on the cake.

It's all the efforts of over a year in the making come into fruition and all Americans get a chance to see the beautiful ornaments that highlight our state on the West Lawn of the Capitol.

(wondrous music) - [Announcer] Funding for "ARTEFFECTS" is made possible by Sandy Raffealli with Bill Pearce Motors, Heidemarie Rochlin, in memory of Sue McDowell, the Carol Franc Buck Foundation, and by the annual contributions of PBS Reno members.

(upbeat music)