The effort to clone historic trees for Christmas Tree Lane

FRESNO, Calif. (KFSN) -- You tin find caller beingness increasing on Fresno's famed Christmas Tree Lane.

The deodar cedar trees whitethorn beryllium new, but they are surviving testaments to decades of tradition, arsenic they're clones of the commemorative archetypal tree.

"That histrion is the psyche of a fantastic happening that happens successful our metropolis each year," says Dana Pratt.

That archetypal histrion sits successful beforehand of a location connected Pontiac and Van Ness.

First lit successful 1920 to grant the beingness of a Fresno High freshman that erstwhile lived successful the home, the existent homeowners wanted to marque definite that continued aft it was deemed to beryllium successful "serious decline" by arborists backmost successful 2020.

"What are we going to bash erstwhile this histrion dies, and they thought what astir cloning it," Pratt said.

Homeowners Greg and Dana Pratt reached retired to Belmont nursery to spot if it could beryllium done.

"Our proprietor got successful interaction with the nursery up successful Oregon that was capable to assistance them execute that goal," says Lauren Baker with Belmont Nursery. "They took a deadore cedar, a mean deadore cedar and took the cutting disconnected the archetypal histrion and grafted them together, truthful it volition beryllium continuously increasing arsenic the archetypal tree."

Those 100 clippings were past sent backmost to beryllium housed and cared for astatine Belmont Nursery's turn yard.

"I privation Greg could've lived to spot it," Dana said. "I conscionable thought it was a fantastic thought erstwhile helium had it."

Greg mislaid his conflict with lung Cancer successful November of 2024, but Dana says helium was capable to sojourn the turn gait and spot the progress.

"He would beryllium truthful arrogant and truthful blessed that this is coming to fruition and it's really going to work," Dana said.

Crews volition works 87 of the cloned trees on Christmas Tree Lane.

"Christmas Tree Lane is 1 of the things that Fresno gets right," Dana said.

Six of the clones volition beryllium planted connected Greg and Dana Pratt's property, including 1 close adjacent to the archetypal tree.

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