Why not consider a live tree this year?
In bygone days, putting up the Christmas tree was certainly labor-intensive, but oh, it was a labor of love.
I remember as a kid going with my father to a corner lot filled with balsam firs. We’d choose the perfect, conically-shaped specimen, then tether it to the top of the car, suffering a million needle-sticks on the way.
At home, we’d haul our tree inside and force it into an intractable tree stand, then loop it with gaudy lights, glass balls, candy canes and yards of tinsel. After adding an angel on the top—which required ascending a rickety ladder next to a wobbly tree—our masterpiece was complete.
Today, people can get pre-fabricated, pre-decorated and even pre-lit trees with pipe-cleaner branches that open as easily as umbrellas. And store-bought pine-scented spray can make the house smell like a Vermont forest.
While ersatz trees look better than ever, nothing says Christmas like a live tree. But sales of the real thing are down, according to the National Christmas Tree Association. In 2007, the last year for which figures are available, 79,000 live trees were sold in New Jersey—about 40 percent less than in 2002.
You couldn’t tell it by the action last weekend in Upper Township, where there are at least three Christmas tree farms—Eisele’s, Martinelli’s and Yunghans’—almost within a stone’s throw of each other.
Bill Eisele of Petersburg, who reports brisk business in the final weeks before Christmas, says he sells three types of trees, all “mother-in-law-tested, for people who put their trees up too early and take them down on Valentine’s Day.”
These varieties are popular because they’re hardy, look great for a month or more, and don’t easily shed their needles. They include:
- The short-needled Douglas-fir. This splendid tree (which isn’t a true fir, pine or spruce, but a distinct species native to the Rocky Mountains) can live up to 1,000 years. As a result, many old-growth forests are filled with Douglas-firs. And they’re beautiful. This year’s White House Christmas tree is a Douglas.
- The white fir or concolor hails from the Sierra Nevada area of California. It has blue-green medium-length needles that, when broken, smell just like tangerines.
- Though it has little aroma, the Eastern white pine is popular because it holds fast to its long needles, and is reported to cause fewer allergic reactions than the more aromatic species.
Asked what trees don’t work at Christmas time, Eisele of course replied, “Artificial trees.”
No matter what kind of tree your family enjoys this season, stay safe with these guidelines:
- If you prefer a live tree, choose a fresh one with dark green needles that are difficult to tug from the branches. Another sign of a live, healthy tree is a bit of sap on the trunk.
- Water your tree regularly. As a tree dies, its needles will turn tan and become more flammable. When the tree loses a lot of needles, dispose of it.
- If you use an artificial tree, make sure it’s fire-resistant. If the artificial tree comes with lights already attached, make sure it has the Underwriters Laboratory (UL) label, which means that it’s been safety-tested. If you plan to light your tree yourself, look for the UL label on the package. Never use outdoor lights to decorate an indoor tree.
- Keep the tree away from heat sources such as vents. Never use lighted candles on or near your tree. Don't place the tree near electrical appliances, loose wires or flowing curtains that could ignite. Don’t overload extension cords with lights. Each extension cord should support no more than three strands of lights.
- Turn off all tree lights when you go to bed or leave the house.
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When it comes to the Christmas tree at Rockefeller Center, size matters.
Bill Eisele, owner of a Christmas tree farm in Petersburg, offered a massive Douglas fir to the Rockefeller Garden Association, which makes the selection each year.
The 45-foot tree, planted as a sapling in 1972, was rejected as too small (the preferred height is twice that). With a growth rate of about a foot a year, Eisele’s tree might be eligible in 2055.
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