The Oregon Capitol Christmas tree was officially delivered Friday November 21st, and now stands proudly in the rotunda in Salem, but a freak accident during the tree-cutting process has an Oregon Department of Forestry employee recovering from serious injuries.
Earlier this week, on Monday November 17th during the tree-cutting operation in the Tillamook State Forest, an Oregon Department of Forestry (ODF) firefighter was seriously injured.
Dana Turner, a Kentucky native who moved to Oregon to pursue her dream of becoming a firefighter, was part of the 15-person team selected to cut down this year’s Capitol Christmas tree — a 70-foot fir growing at the South Fork Forest Camp in Oregon.
Friends describe Dana as driven, tough, and fiercely independent in a male-dominated field. She worked her way up to Wildland Supervisor with ODF, and being asked to lead this tree-cutting mission was something she was incredibly proud of.
As the crew began their cut, the tree unexpectedly fell in the wrong direction, striking Dana and causing severe injuries — including a crushed femur, major trauma to her lower back, and road rash across much of her body.
She was airlifted by LifeFlight to a trauma center, where surgeons placed rods, plates, and screws from her hip to her knee.
“Trees kinda do their own thing sometimes… it came down the wrong way and hit her,” said her friend, Abby Zumwalt. “It broke her leg, bruised her back, her face — most of her body.”
The Oregon Department of Forestry confirmed the tree was indeed being harvested for the Capitol rotunda. An investigation is underway, and ODF says they are grateful Dana is recovering and will continue supporting her in every way they can.
There is a GoFundMe page set up if anyone is interested in helping her out.