The effort to clone historic trees for Christmas Tree Lane

FRESNO, Calif. (KFSN) -- You can find new life growing along Fresno's famed Christmas Tree Lane.

The deodar cedar trees may be new, but they are living testaments to decades of tradition, as they're clones of the commemorative first tree.

"That tree is the soul of a wonderful thing that happens in our city every year," says Dana Pratt.

That original tree sits in front of a home on Pontiac and Van Ness.

First lit in 1920 to honor the life of a Fresno High freshman that once lived in the home, the current homeowners wanted to make sure that continued after it was deemed to be in "serious decline" by arborists back in 2020.

"What are we going to do when this tree dies, and they thought what about cloning it," Pratt said.

Homeowners Greg and Dana Pratt reached out to Belmont nursery to see if it could be done.

"Our owner got in touch with the nursery up in Oregon that was able to help them achieve that goal," says Lauren Baker with Belmont Nursery. "They took a deadore cedar, a normal deadore cedar and took the cutting off the original tree and grafted them together, so it will be continuously growing as the original tree."

Those 100 clippings were then sent back to be housed and cared for at Belmont Nursery's grow yard.

"I wish Greg could've lived to see it," Dana said. "I just thought it was a wonderful idea when he had it."

Greg lost his battle with lung Cancer in November of 2024, but Dana says he was able to visit the grow yard and see the progress.

"He would be so proud and so happy that this is coming to fruition and it's actually going to work," Dana said.

Crews will plant 87 of the cloned trees along Christmas Tree Lane.

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

Six of the clones will be planted on Greg and Dana Pratt's property, including one right next to the original tree.

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