Douglas County Christmas Tree Delivered & Planted At Courthouse

The Christmas Tree at the Douglas County Courthouse was planted in the front lawn Tuesday, as it will become a year round fixture for years to come. The decision to plant a live tree has been in the works for over four years. It was the idea of Commissioner Chris Boice and new Building Facilities Director, David Palmer who was able to make the idea into reality this year. The tree is a more sustainable option then previous years which involved the labor intensive practice of locating, cutting, hauling and placing a tree in the front lawn every year for Christmas. “This will undoubtedly be a different holiday season for many of our residents, so we wanted to do something extra special this year. Our Building Facilities staff have selected a beautiful evergreen tree to permanently grace the front lawn of the courthouse, and they are prepped and ready to make it glow bright with Christmas lights this year,” Commissioner Chris Boice said. “Our Christmas wish is that this tree stands as a symbol of joy, harmony, peace and hope for our residents and their families; not only this year, but for many generations to come.” The tree is being decorated with lights today. The tree came from Big Trees Today, a plant nursery in Hillsboro, Oregon. It was grown in their nursey and placed into the Courthouse front lawn in about 5 hour-time frame yesterday. The tree is about 9 years old, 30 feet tall and 15 feet wide at the base. It's species is a Hazel Smith Sequoia, that can grow to 60-75 feet tall and live for over 200 years. There will not be a traditional tree lighting ceremony this year. Instead, the Douglas County Christmas Tree Committee, consisting of the Douglas County Board of Commissioners, City of Roseburg and the Roseburg Town Center/Downtown Roseburg Association will simultaneously broadcast a pre-recorded virtual tree lighting program on Sunday, November 29, 2020, starting at 6:00 pm, on their respective Facebook pages for everyone to enjoy.