Iron Mountain Blue Spruce Selected as Michigan State Christmas Tree

The Riccio Family Spruce Heads to the Capitol

A 64-foot blue spruce that has watched over an Iron Mountain property for decades is beginning a new journey this week. The tree, donated by the Larry Riccio family, was harvested on Thursday during an official Michigan State Christmas Tree Harvest ceremony. It is now destined for the east-facing lawn of the Michigan State Capitol in Lansing, where it will serve as the centerpiece for the upcoming holiday season.

According to the Michigan Farm Bureau, this selection marks the second time a tree from Iron Mountain has earned the state title. Since the tradition of placing an official Capitol tree began in 1987, 26 trees have been sourced from the Upper Peninsula. The Riccio family, who have owned their property since 1986, noted that the spruce had simply outgrown its original home, making the donation a fitting next chapter for the 65-year-old tree.

“It is pretty cool to be able to say that your tree is the state Christmas tree,” Larry Riccio said of the donation. While the tree has stood as a fixture of the Iron Mountain landscape for over six decades, it has recently struggled with the effects of local drought conditions, a factor noted by those involved in the selection process.

Logistics of the Lansing Arrival

Moving a 64-foot specimen across the state requires more than just a truck and a trailer. The harvest was conducted with the assistance of the Michigan Association of Timbermen and the Great Lakes Timber Professionals Association. The Alpena News reported that the tree is scheduled to arrive at the Capitol at 8:30 a.m. this Saturday. Once it reaches its destination, local Boy Scout troops will assist in untying the spruce to prepare it for its final placement.

The technical heavy lifting falls to the HI-Ball Company of Lansing, which is volunteering a crane and crew for the installation. They are expected to hoist the tree into position near the intersection of Capitol and East Michigan avenues between 9:30 and 10:00 a.m. EST. This preparation is the critical precursor to the 41st annual Silver Bells in the City lighting celebration, which is slated for November 20.

The Economic Stakes of Michigan Forestry

While the Capitol tree is a seasonal icon, it also serves as a high-profile reminder of Michigan’s significant role in the national timber and agricultural economy. The state currently ranks third in the nation for Christmas tree production, with over 500 farms operating across the state. These growers harvest more than 2 million trees annually, a scale of production that underscores the industry’s reliance on long-term forest management.

Iron Mountain Blue Spruce Selected as Michigan State Christmas Tree — Photo: thealpenanews.com

Denny Olson, an Iron Range Farm Bureau member who represents the Michigan Association of Timbermen, emphasized that the visibility of the state tree helps highlight the broader utility of the industry. “There are so many uses and jobs that come out of the trees,” Olson said. “It’s a renewable natural resource that I think people don’t think about. They don’t realize or think about … how important trees are to our everyday life and our survival as a human being.”

This commitment to forestry was highlighted on a national stage just last year. In 2025, for the first time in four decades, the official national Christmas tree was sourced from Michigan—specifically a concolor fir from Korson’s Tree Farms in Sidney Township. That milestone underscored the expertise within the state’s agricultural sector, reinforcing the idea that every tree, whether destined for a living room or the state Capitol, begins with careful cultivation.

Managing the Renewable Cycle

The process of selecting a state tree is not merely about finding a tall specimen; it involves balancing the needs of the environment with the requirements of a public display. Olson, who selected the Riccio family tree two years ago, pointed to the necessity of active forest management to ensure sustainability. “Everybody loves trees, and every tree starts with one little seed—some are planted, some … regenerate,” Olson told Michigan Farm News. “We have many species, and they all have a use, and that’s why we have to manage them, so we’re never going to run out of trees.”

Michigan State Christmas Tree harvest set for Thursday in Iron Mountain

As the Riccio family spruce makes its way to Lansing, the focus will shift from the quiet reality of an Iron Mountain backyard to the center of civic life. For the state’s timber industry, the tree stands as a symbol of both heritage and ongoing economic viability, bridging the gap between a 65-year-old growth cycle and the public anticipation of the holiday season.