PHOTOS: Rockefeller Center Christmas Tree-To-Be Cut Down Upstate

MIDTOWN MANHATTAN, NY — As New York enters an unusual holiday season, one time-honored tradition is still set to return this month: the Rockefeller Center Christmas Tree, which was cut down upstate on Thursday ahead of its installation in Midtown.

This year's tree is a 75-foot-tall, roughly 80-year-old Norway Spruce, which was growing alongside New York State Route 23 in Oneonta, about three hours north of the city.

It was donated by Al Dick, owner of Daddy Al’s General Store, which is located about two miles east of the tree itself.

Workers cut down the 11-ton tree Thursday morning and hoisted it onto a flatbed truck, where it will be driven to Manhattan and installed on Saturday in Rockefeller Plaza.

"This year, we just feel the tree is vital," Rob Speyer, President and CEO of Tishman Speyer, which owns Rockefeller Center, said in a statement. "The Rockefeller Center Christmas tree always represents the holiday season, but it has also stood tall as a symbol of hope, resilience, and New York’s enduring spirit, from the Great Depression to 9/11, Superstorm Sandy through today."

The tradition began in 1931, when construction workers building Rockefeller Center first put up a Christmas tree. A formal tree lighting ceremony was first held two years later and the occasion has become more elaborate over time, first airing on national television in 1951.

This year's 88th annual tree lighting ceremony will begin 7 p.m. Wednesday, Dec. 2, airing live on NBC but without any crowds in attendance. The tree will be adorned with more than 50,000 multicolored LED lights and topped with a star designed by the architect Daniel Libeskind, weighing 900 pounds and covered in 3 million crystals.

Mayor Bill de Blasio has said the city will make plans to allow the public to come see the tree in-person, while limiting crowds to maintain social distancing.

After the holidays, the tree will be milled into lumber and donated to Habitat for Humanity.

See you soon, NYC! pic.twitter.com/j5k6vYJGvS
— Rockefeller Center (@rockcenternyc) November 12, 2020