Taking up three traffic lanes as it comes over the Market Street Bridge into downtown Youngstown on Thursday, the city’s big, but battered, Christmas tree nears the end of its journey from an Austintown home — where it was cut down but broke after being loaded onto a Diamond Steel Construction flat-bed truck. When the tree was being put up downtown, its top was reattached. Staff photo / R. Michael Semple

YOUNGSTOWN — In breaking news, the city’s official Christmas tree was damaged for the second year in a row.

The upper section of the tree broke Thursday as it was being put on a flat-bed truck after being cut down, said Dawn Turnage, the city’s parks and recreation director.

That’s what caused last year’s tree to break too.

But unlike last year — when the city needed to find a replacement tree — this year’s tree was saved after undergoing some major repairs.

The damage this year wasn’t as extensive as what happened in 2018 when a large part of the top of the tree broke as it was being moved, Turnage said.

“It did not detach, which is why we’re able to fix the wound,” she said. “It’s a delay, but not a denial.”

Though a section of about 10 feet of the 40-foot blue spruce broke Thursday as it was being loaded on the truck, it wasn’t a clean break, Turnage said.

When the tree was being put up downtown, it appeared as though a portion of the top was missing, though it was eventually somehow reattached.

Last year’s tree was such a clean snap that even Santa couldn’t repair it at his workshop. The city ended up finding a replacement.

Work was done to this year’s tree downtown after it made its way to the city’s Central Square, Turnage said.

The trip from 4434 Norquest Blvd. in Austintown, where it was cut down, to downtown didn’t help the tree. It went from Norquest to Mahoning Avenue to state Route 11 to Interstate 680 to Market Street to its current home.

The tree dragged on the road as it was too wide for the flat-bed truck — taking up nearly three lanes on its trip. That caused the tree to lose branches.

Turnage said she expects the tree to hold up for the holidays.

The tree was cut down at the Austintown home of Anastasia Dulick, who donated the tree, by J.C.’s Landscaping, the Tree Dudes, of Campbell.

The top of the tree broke as it was being placed onto a Diamond Steel Construction Co. truck — just as it did last year.

The issue caused a lengthy delay in transporting the tree to Central Square.

The cutting of the tree last year made national news when the top of the initial tree broke as it was being moved.

The city’s holiday parade and tree-lighting ceremony is set for Dec. 6. The parade steps off at 6 p.m. from East Federal Street, near Commerce Street, and finishes on West Federal Street at Vindicator Square.

The tree lighting will take place immediately following the parade, about 7:30 p.m., on Central Square. Pictures with Santa will be available after the tree is lit.

dskolnick@tribtoday.com