We’re going to go out on a limb and guess that you may have never thought about what happens to the famous Rockefeller Center Christmas Tree after the holiday season.
Is it turned to mulch? Used as kindling for a massive bonfire?
No. In fact, it serves a much greater purpose.
Lumber milled from the Rockefeller Center Christmas tree is used to help families build their Habitat for Humanity homes.
According to Habitat for Humanity International, every year since 2007, Tishman Speyer, the owner and operator of Rockefeller Center, has donated the lumber to Habitat.
The trees chosen as the centerpiece of the Rockefeller Center display are usually Norway Spruce, which is more flexible and durable than lumber for load-bearing walls.
Habitat for Humanity International said that makes the two-by-four and two-by-six beans milled from the tree’s trunk perfect for blocking – the filling, spacing, joining or reinforcing of frames – as well as flooring, furniture and cabinetry.
Over the years, the lumber has helped build Habitat homes from New York to Mississippi.
Habitat for Humanity International has not announced the fate of the 2023 tree, which will come down from Rockefeller Center on Jan. 13.
The 2022 tree went into the construction of a Habitat home in Corinth, New York, and the 2021 tree is now part of Habitat homes in Elkton and Havre de Grace, Maryland.
You can read more about the Rockefeller Center tree’s journey to becoming a Habitat home here.
If you’re interested in applying to become a Habitat homeowner, our homeownership applications are now open. You can click here to learn more and apply.
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