Rockefeller Center® Christmas tree goes home with Habitat for Humanity

Lumber from the 2015 tree will be used to build a Habitat house in Newburgh, New York

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Jan 07, 2016, 10:35 ET

Lumber milled from the 2015 Rockefeller Center Christmas Tree will be donated to Habitat for Humanity of Greater Newburgh. (Photo courtesy of Diane Bondareff/Invision for Tishman Speyer/AP Images)

Habitat for Humanity logo.

ATLANTA, Jan. 7, 2016 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- As the Rockefeller Center Christmas tree leaves the plaza Jan. 9, its next journey will bring new life to a Habitat for Humanity home. In a nearly decade-long tradition, Tishman Speyer, the owner and manager of Rockefeller Center, will donate lumber from the tree to Habitat for Humanity. This year, the 78-foot-tall Norway spruce will stay in its home state of New York where it will be used by Habitat for Humanity of Greater Newburgh.

"The Rockefeller Center Christmas tree is a gift that keeps giving. It brings joy to people during the holiday season, which continues as it becomes part of a Habitat home," said Jonathan Reckford, CEO of Habitat for Humanity International. "We're thankful to Tishman Speyer for donating the tree to Habitat for the ninth consecutive year and for supporting our mission as we help families build strength, stability and independence through shelter."

Tishman Speyer first partnered with Habitat for Humanity in 2005 when employee volunteers framed houses for one week in Rockefeller Plaza to help families affected by Hurricane Katrina. The partnership expanded in 2007, the first year lumber from the Rockefeller Center Christmas tree was donated to Habitat for Humanity.

Inspired by the annual tradition of donating the milled lumber of the Rockefeller Center Christmas Tree, in 2011 author David Rubel collaborated with Habitat for Humanity, Random House and illustrator Jim LaMarche to create "The Carpenter's Gift," an uplifting holiday picture book set in Depression-era New York. Highlighting the timeless themes of charity and goodwill, "The Carpenter's Gift" shows that the best gifts are the ones that are unexpected, and may well inspire readers to do some giving of their own.

The 2014 tree was milled into two-by-four and two-by-six pieces and was used to help frame five homes in Philadelphia. Lumber from previous trees has been used in the construction of homes in Pascagoula, Mississippi; Stamford, Connecticut; Newburgh, New York; Morris, New Jersey; and New York City.

About Habitat for Humanity International
Habitat for Humanity International's vision is a world where everyone has a decent place to live. Since 1976, Habitat has helped more than 6.8 million people gain strength, stability and independence through housing, including home construction, rehabilitation and repairs and by increasing access to improved shelter through products and programs. Habitat also advocates to improve access to decent and affordable shelter and offers a variety of housing support services that enable families with limited means to make needed improvements on their homes as their time and resources allow. As a nonprofit Christian housing organization, Habitat works in more than 70 countries and welcomes people of all races, religions and nationalities to partner in its mission. To learn more, donate or volunteer, visit habitat.org

About Tishman Speyer
Founded in 1978, Tishman Speyer is one of the world's leading developers, owners, operators, and fund managers of first-class real estate. Active across North America, Europe, South America and Asia, Tishman Speyer is relied upon by many of the world's most prestigious corporations to meet their office space needs. As of June 30, 2015, the firm had acquired, developed and/or managed a portfolio of approximately 139.1 million sq. ft. with a total value of approximately USD $74.7 billion. Signature assets include New York's Rockefeller Center and Chrysler Center, São Paulo's Torre Norte, Ventura Corporate Towers in Rio de Janeiro and OpernTurm in Frankfurt. Tishman Speyer also has projects at different stages of development currently in Atlanta, Boston, Brasília, Chengdu, Frankfurt, Gurgaon, Hyderabad, Los Angeles, New York, Paris, Rio de Janeiro, San Francisco, São Paulo, Shanghai, Suzhou and Washington, D.C.