Pull on a padded flannel shirt, a toque and some boots. It's time to go hunting. Christmas tree hunting, that is. A tree is a tree, you might think. While you're not wrong, there are factors you need to keep in mind when you head out to your local lot. For example, trees with stronger branches can withstand weightier, more plentiful baubles: choose Scots pine or Balsam fir. Tired of cleaning up needles into the spring? Opt for species with better needle retention: Balsam fir or white pine. Love opening your door to a snootful of piney Christmas scent? Pick Balsam or Douglas fir.
Dan Rosichuk, '18 BSc(Forest), made a couple of helpful videos about how to choose a tree and how to care for it at home. Here are some of his helpful tips.
- Do a ground-up inspection. Look at the bottom: make sure the tree will fit in your tree stand, which of course you have measured. Look for swelling or oozing around the base. It should look healthy and clean.
- Look for discolouration or dryness in the needles and branches. Avoid these trees.
- Grab some of the new growth at the tip of a branch firmly between your thumb and forefinger, a few centimetres from the end, and draw your hand toward the tip. No needles should fall off. This indicates a fresh tree. (Don't worry too much about needles coming off closer to the trunk.)
- Make your way up to the top of the tree. Make sure the "leader" (the tippity-top) is in good condition, and can hold your star or angel well.
- Pick the tree up by the trunk, lifting it off the ground by a few centimetres, and give it a light tap on the ground. If lots of needles rain down, look for another tree.
- Get in close and take a good whiff. It should smell clean and fresh; no musty odours.
- Cut about five centimetres or so off the bottom of the trunk before you bring it into your house. When the tree was originally cut down, it excreted pitch to form a protective layer. That pitch is like a Band-Aid that won't let your tree take up water from the stand. Some tree vendors will cut off the pitch for you, or you can use a pruning saw or a hacksaw at home. Cut it straight!
- Water, water, water! Keep the stand full of water, checking frequently within the first 24 hours. If you have small branches at the bottom of the trunk that get in the way of the stand or the presents, snip them off with kitchen shears.
- BONUS TIP Use those snipped boughs for decoration (away from open flame), or put them in a pot of boiling water. The scent permeates the house and smells lovely.
A version of this content originally appeared in Folio.ca.
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