A Nampa Family Planted a White Fir in Their Front Yard 24 Years Ago. When Its Roots Crept Toward the House, the City Made It Downtown’s Christmas Tree.

For 24 years, a white fir grew in the front yard of a South Nampa home. This fall its roots had crept close enough to the house that the family faced a hard choice. Instead of cutting it down, they gave it to the city, and on Nov. 6 crews hauled the roughly 5,000-pound tree downtown to stand as Nampa’s 2026 Christmas tree.

City forester Adam Mancini told Idaho News 6 the family had made it clear that if the city did not take the tree this year, it would have to come down anyway. They chose to let it have one more season in the spotlight.

A Front-Yard Fir That Outgrew Its Spot

The family planted the fir about 24 years ago. As it grew, its roots began causing problems near the home, according to Idaho News 6, which put the tree at 28 feet tall. The local guide All Things Nampa identifies the donors as the Jacobs family and says the roots had become “a problem” as they reached toward the house.

The family declined to talk on camera, telling the station the decision was emotional. Before the tree left, they grew a sprout from it in a planter, so a piece of the fir stays with them.

“They were gracious to donate this tree — a little emotional, because there was some sentiment to it,” Mancini said.

White fir is a western native that can reach roughly 30 to 70 feet in home landscapes, according to University of Wisconsin-Madison Extension. The extension describes it as a fairly slow grower that needs deep, well-drained soil, which helps explain how a tree planted as a youngster can quietly become a problem near a foundation two decades later.

A 3.5-Mile Trip to the Depot

Moving the fir took heavy equipment. Crews lifted it onto a flatbed truck and drove it 3.5 miles across town to the historic Nampa Train Depot, Idaho News 6 reported. Mancini said finding the right tree for the city is a year-round effort.

Once in place at 1200 Front Street, the tree gets repaired for any damage from the trip and then decorated by the city’s parks team. After the holidays it will not go to waste. The city plans to turn it into mulch for Nampa’s parks and trails, according to All Things Nampa.

Nampa Keeps Choosing Trees From Its Own Yards

This is not the first time Nampa has looked to a neighborhood yard for its holiday centerpiece. In 2024, Jim and Susan Gramkow donated a 55-foot Colorado blue spruce from their front yard, a tree their daughter grew up with, Idaho News 6 reported at the time. The roughly 50-year-old spruce weighed 12,200 pounds.

In 2025, the city took a nearly 60-foot evergreen from the yard of Bonnie and Tim Torgerson, who were already planning to remove it ahead of putting up a fence, KSL reported. Mancini said then that he does not normally encourage people to cut down trees.

This year’s fir is smaller than either of those, but it carries the same story many families know well: a tree planted small, a yard that changes around it, and roots that eventually force a decision.

Other cities have leaned on the same tradition this season. Chicago’s tree is a spruce a Kane County family planted after a grandfather died, and Michigan’s state tree is a 60-foot spruce that outgrew an Iron Mountain property.

When the Lights Come On

The fir opens to the public on Saturday, Nov. 28, the Saturday after Thanksgiving. All Things Nampa lists entertainment starting at 5 p.m. and the lighting at 6 p.m. in front of the depot, with free admission, on the same day as Shop Small Saturday downtown.

For the family in South Nampa, the front yard will look different this winter. Downtown, the tree they planted 24 years ago will be the first thing many residents see when the holiday season starts.

This article was produced with AI assistance and edited for accuracy against the sources linked above.

Image: James St. John – CC BY 2.0/Wikimedia Commons