Buying Your Christmas Tree

Before purchasing a Christmas tree, make an informed decision right for your family.

Do you question what is the most eco-friendly choice of tree? Is it an artificial one, a cut live tree, or a potted tree? If you are leaning toward a live cut tree do you wonder if one species is more long lasting than the other or more fire resistant? Hopefully, by the time you read this you'll be able to make an informed decision for your tree this year.

Before you get side-tracked by reading this article, grab your measuring tape and measure the number of feet between the floor and ceiling in the room your tree is intended to go and write it down and stick your measurements and your tape measure in your pocket. One common mistakes is buying a tree too tall. Make certain you can fit a tree in/on your mode of transportation. But wait! Don't leave yet. Sit yourself down, relax and read on.

The photo to the left was once was a potted tree and served as an indoor Christmas tree for many years until hauling it in and out became a heavy, difficult chore. You should know that most "tree huggers" around the world agree that buying a real tree rather than an artificial one is the 2nd best choice. The first choice would be to go without a tree but we know that isn't going to happen for most of us. The reason they prefer live cut or live potted trees over artificial trees is because most all the parts of an artificial tree is made of materials that do not decompose, like PVC and other plastic components. According to http://www.christmastree.org, eighty five percent of them are made in China and our experience tells us that the regulations are far less strict in China than in the U.S. or other countries. Artificial Christmas trees are required by California Prop 65 to carry a warning for the lead content. Does your state require that? To read more about the dangers of lead and PVC, especially in children, check the bottom of this article.

Proponents of the artificial tree argue that if you take good care of your artificial tree it could last for years but unfortunately our throw-away society will opt to ditch their 5 year old fake tree for the "more real" looking improved upon versions or trees that have the lights built in or they just want a change to a different type of fake tree. Statistics show that an artificial tree lasts about 6 years but I'm sure there are those of you who have held onto your artificial tree much longer than that.

Rather than argue one side or the other, I'll try to list the pros and cons of the two most popular choices and let the decision be yours.

Live Cut Tree
Pros	Cons
Fresh scent. Lots of unique selections to choose from. May be in keeping the tradition of your family. Take in carbon dioxide and other harmful greenhouse gases and release fresh oxygen into the air while growing on tree farms. Christmas tree farms help sustain the rural economy and provide jobs for American's and/or provides monies for civic groups, schools, boy-scouts and other groups. Less money up front. ($30 to $75) Another tree is planted for each one harvested to ensure a steady supply year after year as they are "farmed" trees. Once the life of the tree is spent it can: Provide habitat for animal life if sunk in a pond. Enrich our compost pile. The tree is biodegradable.	Can become a fire risk if not correctly maintained (note: most fires come from overloading electrical circuits and not from the tree itself). Need Constant maintenance. Sheds needles. Can only be left up for a limited time. Less economical for the long haul. Personal transportation of a tree can be difficult. Disposing of it after use can provide problems. Time to used to make a fresh cut, have the saw to make the fresh cut and set up water apparatus.

Artificial Tree
Pros	Cons
Can be more cost-effective than a real tree if you choose a less real looking tree. Some are flame retardant. No maintenance necessary. Save fuel as no need to go shopping for a tree if already purchased. Can be left up for as long as you like - even year round! No mess from needles. Pre-decorated themed trees take the guess work out of what goes nicely together. Huge assortment to select from which could including pre-hung lights and a complete theme including bulbs and garland.	Made from a non-renewable resource: petroleum. Can look phony and synthetic. Time required to assemble the tree. Requires storage space in the home. More money up front. ($100 and up with some of the 15 ft. trees in the $3,000 to $4,000's! See link at the bottom of the page Fuels and resources for transportation across the ocean is harming our environment. Insects may get into the carton while it is stored if not packed properly. Most are made in China. May contain lead or unknown harmful insects or chemicals. May have been made using child labor or at the very least very poor pay and working conditions for adults workers. No advantage to the home economy. Personal transportation of a large box may be difficult. Once the life of the tree is done, it will remain in our landfills forever (non-biodegradable)

Christmas Tree Characteristics
SPECIES	NEEDLES	COLOR	FRAGRANCE	SHAPE	NEEDLE RETENTION
BALSAM FIR Abies balsamea	Up to 1 1/2 in. long	Dark green, soft to the touch	Good	Pyramidal	Good
COLORADO BLUE SPRUCE Picea pungens (strong branches)	1 to 1 1/2 in. long, sharp, stiff	Bluish-gray	Not good	Pyramidal, very symmetrical	Good
CONCOLOR FIR Abies concolor	1 to 1 1/2 in. long, small and narrow	Green to light blue-green	Good	Pyramidal	Good
DOUGLAS FIR Pseudotsuga menziesii	1 to 1 1/2 in. long, soft	greenish-blue	Good, sweet	Pyramidal	Good to excellent
FRASER FIR Abies fraseri	1 to 1 1/2 in. long	Dark blue-green	Good	Pyramidal	Good
LEYLAND CYPRESS Cupressocyparis leylandii (sap-less)	Less than 2 in. long	Dark greenish-gray	Little fragrance	Ovalish Pyramidal	Fair
NOBLE FIR Abies procera (stiff branches)	1 to 1 1/2 in. long, soft	Bluish-green	Very good	Pyamidal	Good
SCOTCH PINE Pinus sylvestris	Up to 1/2 in. long	Bright green	FRAGRANCE	Pyamidal	Excellent
VIRGINIA PINE Pinus virginiana	1 1/2 to 3 in. long	Yellow-green to dark green	Mild	Open branching/irregular shape but pruned to nice shape.	Good
WHITE PINE Pinus strobus	2 1/2 to 5 in long, flexible, soft	Bluish-green	Little fragrance	Asymmetrical	Good
WHITE SPRUCE Picea glauca	1/2 to 3/4 in long, stiff & blunt tip	Bluish-green	Bad if needles are crushed	Pleasing shape	Fair

When going to purchase your live cut tree look for a tree that is symmetrical. Touch the needles and bend one. If it breaks, walk away. The needles should be flexible. Next, lift up the tree and give it a good thump on the ground. If you see a great number of needles fall this is not a freshly cut tree. (Expect a few to fall) And lastly, look at the cut portion of the tree. It should be moist to the touch and sticky. Once you find that perfect tree and get it home you will want to make a fresh cut 1 to 3 inches above the original cut and submerse it in water immediately. I don't mean 5 minutes later, I mean immediately.

Be Safe! Please.

It doesn't matter if you have a artificial tree or a live cut tree you still need to make sure you are not overloading your circuits. Place the tree in a room corner where it cannot be knocked down. Check all your cords for frays. Keep your live cut tree watered and especially keep a close eye on it the first day as it will absorb up to a gallon of water.

Enjoy your tree whether artificial, live cut or potted and Happy Holidays to you and yours. O.K. Now you can go pick out that tree.

Great Places To Find Your Tree

   Best Artificial Trees

   Wholesale Artificial Trees

   Order Live Cut Trees Online

   Find a Christmas Tree Farm Near You

Information About Lead in Christmas Trees

   National Christmas Tree Association

   More lead info

Christmas Tree Fires- Please watch the second video down.

   Dry Tree vs. High Moisture Tree Fire


I am in no way associated with the above links or profiting in anyway from citing the link. I am just providing references for your convenience.

Article References and Sources

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