After the holidays, New York's Rockefeller Center Christmas Tree becomes homes for needy families
(Photo: Alex Haney/Unsplash)
NEW YORK, N.Y. - Have you ever wondered what happens to the Rockefeller Center Christmas Tree once it comes down?
At the end of the holiday season, the tree that lights up New York serves another purpose – it becomes lumber for Habitat for Humanity homes.
Every year since 2007, the tree is cut into pieces that are taken to a mill where it is sawed. After, a landscaping company dries the wood and makes it into beams. The wood is sent to a chosen Habitat for Humanity affiliate that will use it to build houses.
Lumber from previous trees has been sent all over the United States. It has been used for both single homes and several houses.
This year's tree is a 79-foot Norway Spruce from Elkton, Md. It will be cut down Nov. 11 and will arrive at Rockefeller Center on Nov. 13. The tree will be lit on Dec. 1 and is lit up daily until it comes down to begin its journey to becoming a home for families in need.