Meet the NYC man who chooses the Rockefeller Center tree each year

He is a real conifer.

A visit to Rockefeller Center’s dizzyingly tall, dazzlingly lit Christmas tree is one of NYC’s most treasured holiday rituals.

And behind every sky-high stunner torn apart and brought to the Big Apple to brighten spirits this Christmas stands just one man with an eye for perfection, most likely one of the only people toiling in the concrete jungle of Midtown in the Gardener’s work.

But that’s exactly what Erik Pauze does at Rockefeller Center, where he has toiled for four decades, the 58-year-old from Long Island told The Post that he surveys “easily” 100 trees in a six-state radius each year, saying spruce-geddaboudit! for any number of smaller specimens before determining exactly which one is ready for prime time.

The 2024 winner that arrived Saturday and will be lit with the usual fanfare on Dec. 4 is a 74-foot-tall, 11-ton Norway spruce that is also 43 feet in diameter.

The stunning ornament comes from the tony Berkshires countryside of West Stockbridge, Mass. is the first Bay State beauty to take pride of place in the fancy square since 1959.

The journey from local resident Earl Albert’s backyard began in 2020, when Pauze was in the area looking at another potential candidate, he said.

“I would go out during these four years … and keep an eye on it,” said the plumber, who has been in charge of tree selection since 2010.

He often discovers trees of the future which must be judged strong and symmetrical enough to withstand 50,000 large holiday lights – in close proximity to the chosen ones of the past or ancestors.

After getting to know the tree and its owner and overseeing the petting of the future prize making sure it was well looked after Pauze said “this year it was just the way it should be”.

“It was perfect,” he enthused.

Season’s greetings

Building relationships with families like the Alberts and getting to know the communities they live in is a key part of the job, Pauze found.

It was the 2021 tree, which came from Elkton, Md., that students from a nearby school gave a grand send-off by lining local streets, and that from the small Florida town of New York’s Hudson Valley, where a giant The American flag was flown to honor the small town’s big gift in 2019.

This year, it was all about getting out and waiting, sometimes in rocking chairs on the porch of the Albert house, with a full view of the great fir. The logistics of preparing the tree to feed it, controlling the growth and techniques for cutting day is a friendly but lengthy process.

“We were just going back and forth like two old buddies out there,” Pauze said. “It was wonderful.”

“I spent so much time there that I was starting to call his house my upstairs office,” the evergreen creator joked, noting that he even went to a high school varsity football game with family a few Friday nights ago. to watch their son play.

“These are the kind of memories that come out every year,” he said. “And then taking the tree to Rockefeller Center, setting it up and saying, ‘Man, this looks just as good as the yard.'”

Earl was only too happy to donate much of the forestry to honor his late mother’s love of Christmas, he said.

This week, the huge body was dismantled, loaded onto a 115-foot trailer and taken south for its final act.

How to pick a winner at home

Although much lower profile with just a few white lights and ornaments, Pauze is also responsible for selecting his family’s 6- to 7-foot tree for their Suffolk County home each holiday season.

The botanical expert shops much closer to home this time and is still unrecognized, he laughed.

“I usually like a Fraser fir for stronger branches in the house,” Pauze said.

“You want to make sure that no needle is lost. This is a big point,” he added.

As Pauze noted, if a quick shake of the tree shows the dropping of green needles, this is an indication of dryness and, therefore, a fire hazard.

“Sometimes I get a really fresh tree in my house and it will soak up water all New Year’s,” he marveled.

Double or triple check that a tree has been “freshly cut to the bottom”, which will ensure it absorbs as much water as possible.

Fraser firs can be distinguished by the distinctly flattened, almost saturated dark green needles on their extra-strong branches, according to Michigan State University. Pauze says to also look for straight branches, a straight trunk and very few shed needles.

Last year, the average price of a fresh tree ranged from $80 to $100, according to the American Christmas Tree Association. A September survey by the organization reflects that most retailers do not anticipate higher wholesale prices for the 2024 buying season.

Pauze said prices usually vary depending on where they are purchased. The Wall Street Journal reported that trees closer to 14 feet can cost as much as $250.

Tree vendors on the streets of New York often source their greenery from legitimate farms as far away as Canada or Oregon, according to Curbed. Most are from Canada, New Hampshire or Vermont. Some have retreated from down south to North Carolina, the Los Angeles Times reported.

However, they may be of lower quality compared to what the tri-state offers.

“The city environment is harder on trees, so you can find healthier ones outside of the city if you’re willing to make the trip,” Pauze said.

To help ensure an attractive display, consider symmetry and stand five to eight feet back to get a better perspective on color, shape and even scent, according to tree experts at Lowe’s Home Improvement Center. The trunk should not be visible through the branches.

Other signs of poor quality include needles that break immediately or are discolored.