The National Christmas Tree, located on the Ellipse south of the White House, has died due to complications resulting from transplant shock according to the National Park Service.
The deceased tree was scheduled to be removed Saturday morning.
The Colorado blue spruce came from a tree farm in New Jersey and was planted on the Ellipse on March 19, 2011 and was decorated and lit nightly during the 2011 National Christmas Tree Lighting event.
The tree replaced a tree of the same variety that was planted on the Ellipse in 1978 and fell due to high winds on February 19, 2011.
As a standing practice, NPS always has a successor tree identified in order to ensure that a suitable National Christmas Tree will be in place for the National Christmas Tree Lighting event held each December. The National Park Service has already identified a Colorado blue spruce tree as the future National Christmas Tree.
The NPS will plant the new National Christmas Tree in late October 2012, which will allow time for the tree to be decorated for the 2012 National Christmas Tree Lighting event.
