MOSCOW, November 12. /TASS/. Experts have selected a century-old fir from the Moscow Region’s Ruzsky District to be Russia's main New Year’s tree, the Administrative Directorate of the Russian President told TASS.

"The tree that will decorate the Kremlin’s Cathedral Square, is 26 meters tall, the diameter of its trunk is 64 centimeters, and its lower branches span about 11 meters," the officials specified. Experts explained that the tree was selected from a list of candidates judged by their age, height, branch span, foliage and the ability to be safely transported. Its "inner qualities" were also crucial, since the tree must be able to withstand temperature changes and stay fresh for several weeks.

"The felling, transportation, installation, decoration, and subsequent recycling of the fir will be carried out using modern technologies to ensure complete preservation and safety," the officials assured. In accordance with instructions from Russian President Vladimir Putin, the Presidential Administrative Department conducts a comprehensive annual process to select and install the main New Year’s tree on Cathedral Square in the Moscow Kremlin.

A live fir has been installed there every year since 1996. Between 2001 and 2005, due to severe temperatures, it was impossible to fell and transport a tree, so an artificial one was chosen instead.

Last year’s Kremlin fir was slightly younger, a 90-year-old tree from the Mozhaysky district in the Moscow Region.