By KEVIN WALKER
Michigan Correspondent

LANSING, Mich. — The state of Michigan is still taking applications for those who would like their tree considered for designation as the 2010 state Christmas tree. The chosen tree will be decorated and placed on the state lawn over the holidays.

“Obviously, having your tree on the state lawn is good advertising and is sort of a feather in your cap,” said Kurt Weiss, a spokesman for the Michigan Department of Technology, Management and Budget (DTMB).

There has been a state Christmas tree every year for the past 22 years, Weiss said. “This year we wanted to have a big selection of trees. We’ve typically found a lot of our trees in the Upper Peninsula, but it doesn’t have to be from there.”

The tree also doesn’t have to come from a Christmas tree farm. It just has to fit the requirements the state has set out for it. It must be a spruce or fir, a minimum of 65 feet high with a maximum crown of 30 feet and a maximum trunk diameter of 30 inches, the property must be easily accessible from a road with no interference from wires and it must be available at no cost.

The DTMB will work with the Michigan Assoc. of Timbermen and the Great Lakes Timber Professionals Assoc. to cut the chosen tree and bring it from its location, no matter how far, to its designated spot in Lansing. The department will then work with the Hi-Ball Co. of Lansing, which will volunteer a crew and a crane to set the tree.
The tree lighting takes place the Friday before Thanksgiving, Weiss said. It will become part of the celebrations throughout Lansing over the holidays, including the “silver bells” celebration.

Weiss said the former Department of Management and Budget (DMB) has always been responsible for the state Christmas tree because it handles contracts; last year the DMB was merged with the Department of Technology.

The DTMB would like to have applications in by July 16. Anyone who would like to submit an application to have their tree considered should send in their name, telephone number, a picture of the tree and its size and location to: Holiday Tree Search, DTMB, Building Operations Division, P.O. Box 30026, Lansing, MI 48909.

Pictures and information can also sent via e-mail to christmastree@michigan.gov (applications that are a little late may still be considered).