 A 42-foot Colorado blue spruce from the Sunset Lake Nursery near Shickshinny, Pennsylvania, was donated by the National Arborist Association and planted in the Ellipse close to the Zero Milestone (just east of the central north-south axis of the White House).The tree arrived in the city via flatbed truck and was planted on October 11, 1973.The tree was badly damaged just before it was planted when it fell off the flatbed truck carrying it, an accident which had significant effects on the tree's lifespan.