Christmas Trees

     As we look forward to the wonderful world of Christmas it time stop some of the myths around.  One we constantly here is we are saving trees by using a fake one.  In truth Christmas trees like the Noble fir can be considered a crop.  They are planted for a 6 to 10 years out for harvesting, in addition many of the areas in Washington and Oregon the trees are planted in areas that cannot be used for much else due to the rocky terrain they are in.  Did you ever ask yourself if the fake tree is to help "save a tree" then why are they packaged in cardboard and shipped from across seas?  Did you know there are roughly 1/2 a billion trees in rotation on tree farms for Christmas.  Did you know roughly 28% of home fires at Christmas time are due to fake trees catching on fire?      Another common myth is all Christmas trees can easily catch on fire.  Well there is some truth to this, you need to look at the source of the tree, if it is a long needled tree such as an Oregon Douglas Fir, or even the Noble fir being a short needled tree if the tree is brittle of course it can catch fire by a spark.  But if you buy a tree from an independent retailer who gets them direct shipped then you have a fresh tree and should not catch fire even if there is a spark in a light strand.  A couple of fantastic trees that are fire retardant naturally are the Nordman fir and the Concolor fir, the Fraser fir does extremely well at staying fresh even in Colorado's low humidity.  A couple of ways to help the longevity are
             1.  Close all vents near your tree both floor and ceiling
             2.  Place the tree in a north or east facing room and away from fireplaces
             3.  If you have an extra humidifier place it in the room the tree and get an extra 4-5 days out of it.
             4.  Get a fresh cut on the tree at least 2" up from the bottom
             5.  If the temperature is near freezing then bring the tree into a garage until the branching drops.  Rapid temperature changes are harmful.
     One other item which I guess is not a myth but our culture of thought, Christmas trees make such a mess.  NO THEY DON'T.  If you buy a fresh tree not from a grocery store or a box store then you don't have all the needles dropping if you follow the steps listed above.  If you are worried about the needles dropping and having to vacuum them up ask yourself do you vacuum the floor anyway?  Does the dog shedding make more of a mess or even the kids coming in out the dirt and snow and leaves from the yard. 
     You can't beat the smell of a fresh tree it is relaxing and peaceful like the woods. Don't get spooked by the media or friends.  You buy a tree from the right place and the trees will last and you will have a fantastic Christmas once again.