So where does that tree come from? Where Do I go to get one?

By Maria Bargellini of DFW Christmas Lights

So where do Christmas Trees come from? Well, out of the 30 million real trees that used by us every year 25% come from Oregon, 11% from North Carolina, 10% from Michigan and the remainder of the trees come form small farms across the country. The different types of Christmas Trees consists of Pines, Firs, and Spruces, however the most common by far are the Balsm, Frasier, and Douglas Firs. I name my tree Dougie every year–makes me feel better about it some how. I also talk to it and feed it some Superthrive (Organic Fertilizer). I know it sounds a little nutty but–because we are also Christmas Light installers- my tree has to go up as soon as they are available and it doesn’t come down until the second week in January. To date I have never loss many needles or had a tree not last the long season. (finding wood to knock as we speak).

The Christmas trees are raised on the tree farms for at least 8-10 years for reach maturity.  They are sheared once a year to maintain a nice shape and a strong central leader that is staked with bamboo to ensure it’s shape. Then they are cut, wrapped and shipped in refrigerated trucks to a tree lot near you. And for where you can get them, below is a list of guides and sites that will help you find a choose and harvest your own or a pre- harvested tree.

Helpful Links

Video form the History channel Describing the process.

Texas Tree Growers Directory of Christmas tree lots

Choose and Harvest your tree in Alvarado

Choose and Harvest your tree in Caddo Mills

Pick your own

Christmas Fun

Christmas Tree Farm Network

Tree samples

Read Full Post »

When a Christmas tree is cut, over half of its weight is water. With proper care, you can maintain the quality of your displayed trees. Below are a number of tips relating to the care of displayed trees:

1. Displaying trees in water in a traditional reservoir type stand is the most effective way of maintaining their freshness and minimizing needle loss problems.
2. Make a fresh cut to remove about a 1/2-inch thick disk of wood from the base of the trunk before putting the tree in the stand. Make the cut perpendicular to the stem axis. Don’t cut the trunk at an angle, or into a v-shape, which makes it far more difficult to hold the tree in the stand and also reduces the amount of water available to the tree.
3. Once home, place the tree in water as soon as possible. Most species can go 6 to 8 hours after cutting the trunk and still take up water. Don’t bruise the cut surface or get it dirty.
4. If needed, trees can be temporarily stored for several days in a cool location. Place the freshly cut trunk in a bucket that is kept full of water.
5. To display the trees indoors, use a stand with an adequate water holding capacity for the tree. As a general rule, stands should provide 1 quart of water per inch of stem diameter. Devices are available that help maintain a constant water level in the stand.
6. Use a stand that fits your tree. Avoid whittling the sides of the trunk down to fit a stand. The outer layers of wood are the most efficient in taking up water and should not be removed.
7. Keep displayed trees away from sources of heat (fireplaces, heaters, heat vents, direct sunlight). Lowering the room temperature will slow the drying process, resulting in less water consumption each day.
8. The temperature of the water used to fill the stand is not important and does not affect water uptake.
9. Check the stand daily to make sure that the level of water does not go below the base of the tree. With many stands, there can still be water in the stand even though the base of the tree is no longer submerged in water.
10. Drilling a hole in the base of the trunk does not improve water uptake.
11. Use of lights that produce low heat, such as miniature lights, will reduce drying of the tree.
12. Always inspect light sets prior to placing them on the tree. If worn, replace with a new set.
13. Do not overload electrical circuits.
14. Always turn off the tree lights when leaving the house or when going to bed.
15. Monitor the tree for freshness. After Christmas or if the tree is dry, remove it from the house.
16. Go to www.realchristmastrees.org and type in your ZIP code to find a recycling program near you.
17. Never burn any part of a Christmas tree in a wood stove or fireplace.

For the complete article from the National Christmas tree association please click here

Read Full Post »

MYTH #9: Real Christmas Trees end up in landfills.
BUSTED: Christmas Tree recycling programs are available nationwide, and many are quite creative. A farm-grown Christmas tree is 100% biodegradable, so it can be used for all kinds of things in nature, from mulch to erosion control. Fake trees?….see Myth #4 above. People often lament the sight of Christmas trees at the curb after Christmas…but they don’t realize that many communities have curb-side pick up as part of their recycling program. They’re not “being thrown in the trash” or ending up in landfills. They’re waiting to be put into the recycling program.

MYTH #10: Real Christmas Trees are a hassle and a mess.
BUSTED: It’s all relative. The first thing to ask someone if they say “I don’t want a Real Tree because I might have to vacuum up needles” is this: Does that mean you don’t vacuum normally? I mean, vacuuming should be a regular household chore all year long. So what if the tree drops some needles – you’re going to vacuum anyway right?….RIGHT?

Second, who says it has to be a hassle? (Hint: the fake tree people.) There are many places to buy a tree and all offer something a little different. If you want to spend a lot of time with family or friends getting your tree and have some entertainment, go to a Choose & Cut farm. If you want a huge variety of trees, both species and sizes, go to a specialty lot. If you want to support your community organizations in the process, buy one from a nonprofit selling them as a fundraiser. If you just want a tree quick and easy, then go to a lot designed for that. If you want to just point and click and have your tree delivered to your front door, then buy one online. Bottom line, don’t let someone tell you it’s a hassle, because you can decide how much time to spend getting a tree.

Third, the hard goods used with a farm-grown tree have come a long way. There are many different styles and types of tree stands…pick one that’s easy for you, as long as it holds enough water. There are funnels, cleverly designed to blend into the tree, that make adding water easier. I have a round mat with a waterproof backing to put under my stand so any water drops don’t stain my floor …it cost me like four bucks or something.

You may often hear it’s a hassle to water a farm-grown tree every day. Really? That takes, what…an extra 25 seconds per day? Sheesh, get real, no pun intended. I spend more time than that making my picks in the weekly office football pool.

It’s all relative. The time invested in buying and maintaining a farm-grown Christmas tree is nothing compared to what you get out of it. A good feeling. Memories. A home that “smells” like Christmas. Knowledge that you made a good environmental choice. That’s not a hassle, that’s a blessing.

Read Full Post »

MYTH #4: It’s better to use a fake tree because you can re-use it each year.
BUSTED: That’s a very short-sighted perspective. According to research, most fake trees are only used 6 to 9 years before they’re disposed. Even if you would use one for 20 years or more, it will eventually be thrown away and end up in a landfill. And unlike Real Trees, which are biodegradable and recyclable, fake trees are always a burden to the environment.

MYTH #5: Christmas Trees are a fire safety hazard and frequently catch on fire.
BUSTED: You’d certainly think so by watching the local “Action News” team on TV. Each year, many of them show a dramatic image of a tree bursting into flames, intending to scare people into watching the news. And the anchor/reporter will say, “If you get a Christmas Tree, this could happen to you …” The reality is, a tree being accidentally ignited is EXTREMELY rare. As in 0.0004%. And those images of trees burning? They’re often aided by gasoline or lighter fluid. Don’t believe it? Just watch this…

MYTH #6: Real Trees cost too much.
BUSTED: Like anything else, you can find a wide range of prices, and spend what you want to spend. It all depends on what you’re looking for in a tree. Prices vary by many variables including: location of retail lot, where the tree was harvested, species, size, grade, who’s selling it and even sometimes day of the week. The bottom line is, you can spend $15 to over $200 on a tree in many places.

My favorite part is when fake tree people try to use this as a selling point. “You can get your investment in a fake tree back in as little as 3 years…blah, blah.” That’s called “funny math” where I’m from. If I spend $20 on a Christmas tree from a farm each year and you spend $300 on a fake tree, you’d have to use it for 15 years (way past the average) before I will have spent the same amount as you.

MYTH #7: Fake trees are fireproof.
BUSTED: Um, no, they’re not. They catch on fire every year. According to a report from the National Fire Protection Association, 28% of home fires involving a Christmas Tree were a fake one.

MYTH #8: Real Christmas Trees have pesticides and chemicals on them.
BUSTED: Myths such as this often get a foothold due to the disconnect that most people have with agricultural practices. Christmas Tree farmers do not use chemicals in a “harmful” manner. Chemicals are used only when needed and only according to the specified instructions and regulations of the EPA, the USDA and the FDA. Christmas Tree farmers live on their land and raise their families there. They would not engage in an activity that would put their families, employees or the people they sell their product to in harms way. To suggest otherwise is at best uninformed, and at worst, offensive.

There has never been a scientific research article suggesting that harmful levels of chemical residue exists on Christmas Trees, and in fact there have been studies looking for it. On the flip side, there have been studies showing a potential health danger of lead dust coming from plastic trees. The state of California requires a warning label on fake trees and wreaths. Watch this clip

For Part III of this list please click here

Read Full Post »

Myths, urban legends, misperceptions and sometimes outright lies. We know there are some crazy things that people have been told about Real Christmas Trees over the years. And this has led to a large number of confused consumers. While many of these myths can be traced back to the fake tree industry, many are like urban legends … they just sort of exist and nobody really knows how they started.

Now, NCTA is launching the “Great De-Myth-ification Campaign” with its 10 Biggest Myths About Christmas Trees, designed to provide straight-forward answers and facts in a simple, compiled list. The top 10 list is culled from emails received by consumers, plus questions by news media and messages on blogs and such. Each year, NCTA receives more than 2,000 inquiries from the public, so we have a pretty good feel for what people think about Christmas Trees. Here are the 10 biggest myths, in no specific order:

MYTH #1: Real Christmas Trees are cut down from forests.
BUSTED: Seriously, do people still believe this? To be completely accurate, in a few locations around North America, the Forest Service sells permits for people to harvest wild trees. They do this in places to create fire breaks. But it’s a very tiny percentage of all trees used. Most trees come from a farm where someone plants them. And each year, growers plant one to three seedlings for each tree harvested.

MYTH #2: You save a tree by using a fake tree.
BUSTED: This is obviously tied to Myth #1, and also directly attributable to the fake tree industry. We’ve got copies of ads for fake trees that say exactly that: “Save a tree.” Of course, this is false, because trees are a crop. They are planted by farmers to be used specifically as Christmas Trees. Close to half a billion trees are currently growing on tree farms in the U.S. alone. The really ironic part of the ad for the fake tree is one of the selling points is that it comes in a sturdy cardboard box. Ummm, how exactly is that saving a tree?

MYTH #3: Real Christmas Trees aggravate allergies.
BUSTED: Often, we get emails and inquiries from news media asking if there is a type of Christmas Tree that won’t bother a person’s allergies. We’ve collected sources of information both about trees and allergies and share these with people.

Sources include the National Institute of Environmental Health Science (NIEHS) and the American Academy of Allergy, Asthma & Immunology (AAAAI). So it’s not just “the Christmas Tree people” saying that the farm-grown tree itself is not the culprit.

A quick summary of the sources we have found are that while it’s possible that a person may be allergic to tree pollen or even tree sap, it’s not as widespread as many believe. We have read that in rare cases, people can have an allergy to certain species of tree sap.

As for pollens, which certainly can be an allergen to people, a Real Tree itself is unlikely to produce pollen during December, and even if it did, pollens from pines are not a known allergen. According to the NIEHS of the 50,000 different kinds of trees, less than 100 have been shown to cause allergies. Most allergies are specific to one type of tree.

But being outdoors for years in the field, a Christmas Tree can collect pollens, dust, mold or other allergens. Of course, so can the artificial tree stored in the attic or basement. Whether you use a fresh Christmas Tree from a farm, or an artificial tree stored in a box, if you have sensitive allergies to dust, molds, etc., AAAAI recommends you spray the tree down in the yard with a hose before putting up. Let it dry completely before bringing indoors.

Resources we have found pertaining to holiday allergy prevention include:www.aaaai.org/media/news_releases/2004/11/111204.stm
www.hoptechno.com/book46.htm

For Part II of this list click here.

Read Full Post »