Nominate your tree to be the Milwaukee Christmas tree

MILWAUKEE (WITI) -- Residents within the City of Milwaukee are asked to check their yards and the yards of their neighbors (with their permission) for a Christmas tree to donate for the 100th anniversary celebration.

The ideal tree should be 30 to 40 feet tall, and must be accessible for harvest with a crane, meaning no overhead wires present to interfere with the process. Generally the crane is parked near the front yard or side yard to harvest the tree. The tree candidates are judged on size, shape, uniformity, density, and color -the same criteria that residents use to buy their own trees.

When a tree is selected, the City’s Department of Public Works Forestry staff will cut the tree, use the crane to place it on a flat-bed truck for transportation downtown, remove the stump, and fill in the hole. The tree will receive a police escort to Red Arrow Park.

Residents who wish to have their tree considered for 2013 should contact the City of Milwaukee at 414-286-CITY (2489) by Friday, October 25, 2013.

All tree candidates will be evaluated, and one will be selected and harvested in early November, and lit at the City/County Christmas Tree Lighting Ceremony on Wednesday, November 20 in Red Arrow Park. The donors of the selected tree will take part in the lighting ceremony by helping to flip the switch.