FAIRMONT – The national Christmas tree that will light up the west lawn of the U.S. Capitol has a tie to the Fairmont area. James Scheff, owner of Scheff Logging and Trucking of Marcell, has been selected for the honor of cutting down the 80-foot white spruce from the Chippewa National Forest.

Jennifer (Scheff) Lutterman, formerly of Fairmont, now of Madelia, served as unofficial historian for her family tree.

“Arlo Scheff, that’s my and James’ dad, had a landscaping business in Fairmont for years,” Lutterman said. “When I was 12, we moved to Missouri for five years.”

Arlo was the son of Frank and Tillie Scheff. Other siblings include Frank and Leonard Scheff, Valera Meyer of Sherburn, Irene Daleske, and Doloris and Ardella Krumholz.

It was in Missouri that Arlo started logging with horses, and son James fell in love with the business.

In 1977, James founded his logging business, which has become a family endeavor with several relatives working with him. The business has grown to include five timber harvesting crews, one wood-chipping operation, 17 wood-hauling trucks and a fleet of heavy equipment to build and maintain roads and landings.

In April this year, James was named Minnesota Logger of the Year, spotlighting his outstanding performance as an independent logging contractor who harvest trees in an environmentally-sensitive manner.

“The government knows everything that’s going on in the logging business, and he (James) is really conscientious about nature. He cleans up everything. That’s the way Dad taught him,” Lutterman said.

The Chippewa National Forest will be harvested for scores of other Christmas trees to be used in Washington, D.C., offices, but the one James will cut will be on the White House lawn.

“James was notified in April, but the location is still a secret,” Lutterman said.

Lutterman also is involved with the national tree. She rallied the pre-kindergarten through sixth-grade students at the Madelia school to make ornaments, and the children responded.

“I figured we needed about 280. We sent off about 500,” she said. “We used beautiful pieces of wood. We used fishing line. The lumberyard cut all the branches, and I cut all the holes.”

“We had three days to get it done, and we did it.”

Once James cuts the national tree, it will be loaded on a semi for the trip to Washington. The route will cover more than 30 communities, and the tree will be visible through Plexiglas. A light ceremony will take place upon the tree’s arrival in Washington in early December.

The tree will travel the following route through Minnesota: Itasca State Park, Nov. 2; Bemidji, Nov. 2; Walker, Nov. 3; Cass Lake, Nov. 3; Blackduck, Nov. 4; Marcell, Nov. 4; Deer River, Nov. 4; Cohasset, Nov. 4; Grand Rapids, Nov. 5; Duluth, Nov. 5; West Saint Paul, Nov. 6; Eden Prairie, Nov. 6; Rochester, Nov. 7; Red Wing, Nov. 7; Owatonna, Nov. 8; and Fort Snelling, Nov. 8.

For more information on the Capitol tree, check out the website www.capitolchristmastree.com.