WEST STOCKBRIDGE, Mass. (WWLP) - The 74-feet-tall, 11-ton Norway Spruce in West Stockbridge will start its journey to Rockefeller Center on Thursday. Crowds flock to tiny Massachusetts town to send off New York’s Rockefeller Christmas tree The massive tree was cut down at 8:00 a.m. and loaded onto a truck headed to New York City. Then, come Saturday, it will be lifted by crane into its place in the plaza. This is the first New York City Christmas tree to come from our state since 1959. The selection process began in July 2020 when Rockefeller Center's head gardener, Erik Pauze, first spotted the tree on his search for future New York City Christmas trees. He always looks for a Norway Spruce because of its grand scale and strong branches. When he thought he found what he was looking for, he knocked on the property's door and met Earl Albert. Without hesitation, the Albert family agreed to donate their tree to become a holiday season icon. "You know, when you try to find a Rockefeller tree, you're looking for a big beautiful tree, one you'd want inside your living room or family room, and it's gotta be perfect all the way around, and it's gotta be tall," said Pauze. It will soon be decked in 50,000 multi-colored lights and on display for millions of people in the plaza. The tree will be lit during the live broadcast of "Christmas in Rockefeller Center" on Wednesday, December 4th on 22News and will remain in Manhattan until mid-January. Local News Headlines ‘Into the Forest’ Bright Nights Ball this Saturday at MGM Springfield Cooler temperatures on the way this weekend Healey asks that six be pardoned for crimes Crews put out large brush fire in Holland WWLP-22News, an NBC affiliate, began broadcasting in March 1953 to provide local news, network, syndicated, and local programming to western Massachusetts. Watch the 22News Digital Edition weekdays at 4 p.m. on WWLP.com.