Wrangell will go out on a limb Saturday

Wrangell hasn’t been this excited about a harvested spruce tree since the sawmills were running.

Only the tree that is the subject of this month’s enthusiasm wasn’t cut down, it was dug up.

Crews dug, then dug some more, cut some roots and then lifted the 80-foot-tall tree and its massive root wad out of the ground on Zarembo Island on Oct. 19 for a short ride to Wrangell, where it will go on display Saturday, surrounded by a weekend of activities.

Not to diminish its brief display in Wrangell, but the tree’s real destination is the West Lawn of the U.S. Capitol, where the spruce will live out...