A 30-foot concolor fir grown at Silent Night Evergreens in rural Marquette County was selected Monday as the official 2026 White House Christmas tree, marking the fourth time the Chapman family farm has sent a tree to 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue.
White House Superintendent of Grounds Dale Haney chose the tree from two concolor fir finalists during a ceremony at the farm. The selected tree, standing closest to County Highway P, was marked with a U.S. flag ribbon. It will be harvested shortly before Thanksgiving, trimmed to about 18 feet 6 inches so it can stand in the center of the Blue Room after the chandelier is removed, and presented to First Lady Melania Trump at the White House North Portico in November.
Haney said he looks for a tree that is full on every side, with no holes or double tops, and a strong fragrance that can fill the room. “The Blue Room tree sits in the middle of a room, so there’s no back — everything’s the front. So the tree’s really got to be perfect, almost perfect,” he said. More than 100,000 visitors pass through the White House during the holiday season.
The honor comes after Silent Night Evergreens was named 2026 Grand Champion Grower in the National Christmas Tree Association’s biennial contest, held in July 2025 at Northern Pines Nursery in Lake City, Michigan. Growers must first win state or regional competitions to qualify. Winners of the national contest have provided the official Blue Room tree since 1966.
Farm owner David Chapman, a third-generation grower, called the selection “always an honor.” He and his wife, Leah, plan to take their daughters, ages 8 and 10, to Washington for the presentation. “It’s still an amazing experience, and this year especially… their excitement is very contagious for everybody,” he said.
Jim and Diane Chapman started Silent Night Evergreens in 1977 on what is now more than 400 acres. The farm previously supplied White House trees in 1998 (Clinton), 2003 (George W. Bush), and 2017 (first Trump administration). Chapman’s grandfather, Irv Daggett, provided a tree in 1988 during the Reagan years. Across three generations, the Chapman/Daggett family has earned five NCTA Grand Champion titles. U.S. Rep. Glenn Grothman and officials from the NCTA and Wisconsin Christmas Tree Producers Association attended Monday’s event.
A tree of this size takes nearly two decades to grow. It will travel to Washington before Thanksgiving, continuing a tradition that puts a farm-grown American Christmas tree at the center of the White House holidays each year.
