Down East 2013 ©
The tree-lighting ceremony is a magical moment for Portland, but it can be a logistical nightmare for Jeff Tarling, the city arborist. Tarling, entrusted with selecting the tree, transporting it, and erecting it in Monument Square, takes us through the precarious process, and explains why he’s done it for the past twenty-one years.
The Selection Process
“We put out a press release asking for a forty-five to sixty-foot tree within fifteen miles of Portland. Portland’s Downtown District (PDD) starts getting pictures, usually of blue spruces, and we rate them based on our ability to safely lift it on the flatbed. Physically we look for a full, round tree. Pines tend to be too open and hemlocks don’t have the right needle retention. Norway spruce is the best, but a little too wide. It’s basically exactly how you would judge one at the market, except you have to super-size the process. From my tree hugger perspective, I’d like to leave a nice tree standing, but those being donated are often ones that have become a problem for their owners.”
Through Downtown Portland
“Towns provide police cars to lead the tree, which creates a moving roadblock so we can just drive down the middle of the road. We use the largest low flatbed truck possible, moving at only a few miles per hour. Driving a forty-five-foot spruce down the road isn’t an easy task. We have to go right up Mellen Street and onto Congress, which is steep with a sharp left. About ten years ago we had a tree that was perfect, but too big. On our way down Congress it was brushing up against cars on the side. It took us four hours to go two miles from Baxter Boulevard to Monument Square.”
Erecting it in Monument Square
“The most difficult part is putting it up. You have to guide it into the tree stand safely, especially on those windy November days with lots of people watching, and buildings all around. It then takes three days to put up several thousand lights from top to bottom. The challenge is working your way around the tree. We will use two-bucket trucks, with workers who hand off lights to one another. In total we use probably one hundred sets connected through an industrial extension cord that runs up the trunk. It’s pretty elaborate. Even after all that, it’s always a relief that the lights actually work during the ceremony.”
Ending the Season
“I used to go as a kid to the lighting so it’s great to be a part of a tradition you can help pass on. My daughter is now in her twenties, but for many years she’d help me drive the truck into Portland with the tree. We would go out before Thanksgiving and test the tree lights to give her a sneak peek. The tree comes down the first of January. We use all the bows of the tree to mulch the flowerbeds in the city, and we recycle the rest to use as wood chips. The entire transporting process is such an anomaly compared to the rest of my job. I love it because it’s my way of giving back to the community.”