Greetings for the 2008 Christmas Season!

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Safe Christmas trees

 

While stories have surrounded us for the last couple of years about severe drought and the high fire danger in Colorado’s forests this is a holiday seasonal warning yet unheard.

Every year thousands of families make the trek into the National Forests or to tree farms to cut their own Christmas tree. Where this is a fun family tradition the wise will give it a second thought this year due to our on going drought.

When a tree is growing it holds the most amount of moisture it is able to absorb from the snowmelt, seasons rains and the humidity in the air. The moisture content is the health of the tree. Low moisture affects the color and quality of the needles. It affects how thick or how thin the tree looks and how well needles hold to the tree. A dry tree is very easy to burn, as the rash of fires this summer shows.

The moisture of Colorado’s forests this year is extremely low and the trees are stressed and more susceptible to insects, disease discoloration and needle loss according to Jim Thinnes of the USFS. This years Christmas tree is best cut as late as possible and give it a lot of water after it is cut.

Maybe this year a small dry forest tree is best left to grow another year than be brought into a warm home as a Christmas tree.

The best Christmas trees can be found at established holiday centers, reliable Christmas tree lots and nurseries. These businesses know how to care for your special tree before you get it. Trees from these sources are grown on tree plantations and in areas not affected by the drought. Visit www.coloradochristmastrees.com

The hardiest trees for our Colorado climate come from the upper Midwest. These trees experienced very cold winters while growing and will hold up to the sub-zero conditions which they may encounter in transit or on a tree lot before it is bought.

Christmas trees grown in a milder climate like the Pacific Northwest hold a great deal of moisture but are not freeze resistant. Being frozen can occur in storage or where the tree is displayed this will cause the tree to stop drinking and drop needles after taken inside. Many of the trees found at supermarkets are from the Pacific Northwest.

The cutting of a Christmas tree can evoke an almost perfect Christmas card dream. The reality is that considering the time, the trouble, the actual selection and distances along with the extreme dry conditions, which we are now experiencing in Colorado, this year’s choice should be looked at closely for quality and safety.

For more information visit
www.coloradochristmastrees.com or www.christmas-tree.com/real