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Governor's Christmas Tree Harvested From Nemadji State Forest

MINNEAPOLIS (WCCO) – The tree that will stand at the governor's residence this Christmas was cut down Friday from Nemadji State Forest.

The Minnesota Department of Natural Resources says the tree, which is about 60 years old, is an "almost perfectly shaped" balsam fir from the northern Minnesota woodland, which sits about 35 miles south of Duluth.

Each year, state foresters fell a tree from one of Minnesota's 59 state forests to showcase at the governor's residence in St. Paul during the holidays.

This year's tree will go up on Monday and be lit the following week, on Nov. 26.

The DNR says that half a million Christmas trees are harvested in Minnesota every year, bringing in about $30 million to the state's economy.

The agency says that real Christmas trees are an environmentally-friendly holiday decoration as they store carbon during their lifespans and can be turned into mulch after the holidays.

The DNR adds that for every Christmas tree harvested, one to three more trees are planted.

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