WEST STOCKBRIDGE, Mass. - This year’s Rockefeller Center Christmas tree was cut down Thursday morning in West Stockbridge.

The Norway spruce tree weighing 11 tons, is 74 feet tall, and 43 feet in diameter was spotted back in 2020 by Rockefeller Center head gardener Erik Pauze.

“This tree I happened to find when I was looking at another tree back in July of 2020 and I knocked on the door and asked if they’d be willing to donate and they were excited and over the next couple of years I watched it and then in the spring I started feeding and watering it,” Pauze said.

The door Pauze knocked on was answered by the Albert family. Shawn and Michael Albert were excited when they were asked and believed it was a sign from Shawn’s mother-in-law.

"My mother-in-law had just passed away two days prior, so it was an emotional time and we really took it as a sign from her because she loved Christmas and the tree and the today show and all that goes with it,” Shawn said.

The tree, planted and taken care of by Michael’s father, didn’t need much work.

“It didn’t need a lot of work. He even said it really didn’t, it was just like a perfectly shaped tree, and he came and watered it, but they didn’t really trim it or anything,” Shawn Albert said.

“My father used to take care of it when it first started, he would actually shape it and fertilize it and stuff like that but that hasn’t been for 40 years,” said Michael.

Hundreds gathered to watch the tree cutting ceremony and Pauze says it’s a wonderful celebration whenever he gets to be a part of this.

“Every day gets more exciting you meet more and more people the towns very excited, it’s a lot of fun and it’s a great celebration,” Pauze said.

The tree is currently on its way to New York and will be set up Saturday. The tree will be lit up December 4.

This is the first Rockefeller Center tree from Massachusetts since 1959.