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Show ,,,, Trees travel long road to your living room By KAREN WOLF Northwest Florida l)ail News Every year, just after Thanksgiving, the instant forests appear. They sprout up along thoroughfares, in store parking lots and in newly made clearings rows upon rows of Christmas trees. But where did they come from? Unless you're chopping your own, the tree you select, haul home and decorate has traveled many miles to sit in your living room on Christmas Day. It hasn't been an easy trip. Your tree, mostly likely, was raised in a nursery until it grew into a seedling, to the National according Christmas Tree Association Inc., a Milwaukee-basegroup founded in 1955. Most seedlings are taken from the nursery beds and d replanted in Christmas tree farms for their final years of development. Today, more than 98 percent of Christmas trees are plantation grown. A Christmas tree takes four to 16 years to mature into a 6- to this time, it fights bugs, During weeds, rodents, disease and the elements to survive. Growers prune trees annually, limiting upward growth to encourage the tree to branch more quickly. The result are the type plump, bushy trees American consumers prefer. At harvest time, wholesale growers select and tag the finished trees. The tagged trees are cut, bundled and loaded on trucks and railroad cars for a trip to any one of thousands of retail lots across the country. well-shape- Although Christmas trees are grown in all 50 states, only Oregon, Michigan, Wisconsin, Pennsylvania, California and North Carolina are top producers. When it's time for the BIG selection, the choice surpasses the pressure of choosing the right pumpkin. Do you go to a local lot and style, or do buy a shipped-i- n you trek to a choose-and-cfarm for an indigenous tree? Do you want big or small? Pine or Fraser fir? Cheap or expensive? Christmas tree tastes are as varied as people themselves, tree-selle- rs say. But certain trends seem to stick around. Tommy and Joyce Cox own Big Top Christmas Trees and have several locations scattered throughout Northwest Florida. The Coxes sell Black Hill spruce, blue spruce, Douglas fir, Fraser fir and Scotch pine trees. Among them, the blue spruce and Fraser firs are the Joyce Cox says. The blue spruce, especially, are nice "because of the way they're layered," she says. "They've got a strong branch, they're pretty and real traditional." The Douglas fir also sell well. "They've got real soft needles," she says. "They have a stronger smell, too." When they first started pedaling trees, customers tended to go for the cheaper varieties, like the pines, she says. But times have changed. Now they're selling "more and more of the premium trees," which can run nearly twice as much. Mark Bonanno, owner of in Fort Walton Bonanno's Beach, Fla., sells Fraser firs, blue spruces and Scotch pines. "What made my business are the Fraser firs," he says. "They're the Cadillac" of trees. In Harris' neck of the woods, the Fraser is also king of the trees. "It's become one of our biggest sellers," he says. "It's knocking the Douglas' and everything else out of the market." According to the National Christmas Tree Association, there are 16 types of Christmas trees. Among them, the most popular are balsam fir, Douglas fir, Fraser fir, noble Detcmbei-f- . IWTflF. D.MCTBEKA1.D. Home Magazino" Tips for picking and keeping the perfect tree ready to decorate. Before you set up your tree, make a fresh, straight cut across the base of the trunk about a quarter inch up from the original cut. Place the tree in a tree stand that holds a gallon or more of water. Keep your tree stand filled with water. A seal of dried sap will form over the cut stump in four to six hours if the water drops below the base of the tree. This will prevent the tree from absorbing water when the tree stand is refilled. If a seal forms, another fresh cut will needed. Remember, a tree will absorb as much as a gallon of water or more in the first 24 Northwest Florida Daily News Before buying your tree, perform a freshness test. Gently grasp a branch between your thumb and forefinger and pull it toward you. Very few needles should come off in your hand if the tree is fresh. Shake or bounce the tree on its stump. Few green needles should fall to the ground. Some loss of interior brown needles is normal, and will occur over the lifetime of the tree. Once you've chosen your tree, keep it in a sheltered, unhealed area such as a porch or garage, to protect it from the wind and sun until you are I 'r - m"" am . oj Cant)ermCouri in i ,ii O" hours, and one or more quarts a day thereafter. Water prevents the needles from drying and dropping and the boughs from drooping. Contrary to urban legend, adding sugar, bleach, syrup or vodka to the tree water won't keep it preserved longer. Tap water is best. Keep tree away from heat sources such as fireplaces, radiators and televisions. Test your light cords and connections before hanging them to make sure they are in good working order. Don't use cords with cracked insulation or broken or empty sockets. Unplug the - liieJlloimij'mmwms n f) pine and white pine. Regardless of what type you choose, knowing how to properly select your Christmas tree and care for it throughout the season will serve you, your family and your wallet well. No Canberra Court has been conceived for those who are looking for secure, maintenance-free- , Five Minutes to LDS Mt. 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Never overload electrical circuits. g fir, Scotch pine, Virginia aj;c 3 by Stephen Tanner ReMax Real Estate Telephone ' |
