#treehunters

The mission was clear: “Get a perfect tree. At least 50-feet in height.”

That was the charge given to Parks & Rec’s Director of Urban Forestry Lori Hayes and Deputy Commissioner of Operations Sue Buck. The tree was needed for display on the north side of City Hall, on the plaza facing North Broad Street.

Lori has experience as a “big tree hunter.” In her previous roles with Parks & Rec and its predecessor the Fairmount Park Commission, she’d found trees for parks around the city. She also helped choose the city’s official tree when it was installed in City Hall courtyard. Those trees were often donated to the city by property owners who found a small sapling planted 40 or 60 years ago had become an unwieldy giant in their yard. Parks & Rec receives offers of trees from private property every year. Some of these are placed at park and rec sites with traditions of installing trees, including Bridesburg Recreation Center and Rittenhouse Square.

But trees as large as the one requested are very hard to find. Lori knew from an earlier expedition that the nursery the city used in northeastern Pennsylvania didn’t have trees taller than 40′.

Research and planning ensued. To meet their goal, Lori and Sue planned a road trip to a tree farm in Hornell, New York, a six-hour trip from Philadelphia. Lori had learned that the farm had land, which they planned to sell, that had some large trees on it.

When they arrived at Yule Tree Farms, Lori and Sue met a tree scout who gave them a tour of the property. He was armed with a 55-foot telescoping pole used to measure tall trees. The trio truly got “in the weeds” on this assignment— they needed to trudge through waist-high weeds to access some of the trees. And it was raining.

They visited a number of potential trees, but none measured up. To borrow from the story of Goldilocks and the Three Bears, one was too short, another was too crooked, one had a split at the top... then... there it was... the one that was JUST RIGHT.

The tree was much taller than the measuring stick: approximately 70-feet tall. “When I saw it, it was an ‘ahhhh moment’,” Lori recalls. “We needed a 50′ tree, and here was a perfect tree that was twenty feet taller. Mission accomplished.”

Sue spoke with the tree farmer who told her, “the tree we chose was only two feet shorter than the one placed at Rockefeller Center in New York City.” Recalls Sue, “We were happy to find it.”

Over the next week, a temporary access road was built to the tree. It was gently lowered onto a flatbed truck and carefully tied down. Lori said that year’s wet weather helped keep the tree moist and flexible, so no major branches were crushed on the trip to Philadelphia.

The tree arrived at City Hall on November 7. Dan Dolan, a park grounds maintenance supervisor, was on-hand as the tree was erected in the custom-made stand created for the city three years ago. To fit in the stand, about 5′ of the lower branches and parts of the trunk were removed. Dan then had to whittle down the remaining trunk to fit into the stand. Sue Buck praised Dan’s assistance, “We couldn’t have done it without him.”

After the tree settled for a few days, it was decorated by Proof Productions. Mayor Kenney, Santa Claus, and other dignitaries lit the tree on November 28. 

In an interview with 6abc about the tree, Mayor Kenney remarked, “There’s a group that goes out and looks for it. I encourage them every year to get bigger and taller...” The reporter responds, “And they did.” Sheila Hess, Philadelphia city representative, is then quoted saying, “it’s the biggest tree we’ve ever had.”

Kudos to Lori, Sue, Dan, and their colleagues on a job well done. Mission accomplished, indeed!

 See a video of the tree set-up and lighting at 6abc.com. 

At the farm entrance.

Above left: the tree scout measures a tree. Above right: Lori Hayes with the chosen 70′ tree.