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Show How To Pick A pine, Spruce Or Fir Although some people have switched to artificial trees, it appears that the majority of Utahns still prefer fresh green trees. Carl Johnson. Utah State University Extension forester, fores-ter, says there is a large variety of fresh trees to chose from. These are the most common: Ponderosa Pine-This tree has dense foliage, long needles, rich fragrance, dark green color and holds its needles well. Blue Spruce--This is a beautiful symmetrical tree with short, sharp, stiff needles. It is blue-green and its needles fall off rapidly. White and Subalpine Fir These appear very similar to the blue spruce, but needles are soft to the touch, flat, blunt-pointed and flexible. It is dark green and usually holds its needles well. Douglas Fir-This is the most common Christmas tree fourd in our markets, even though few are grown in Utah for this purpose. Its needles are soft and feathery appearing, it is light green and holds its needles well. Pinyon and Singleleaf Pin-yon--This is a beautiful rounded tree with very full, dense limbs. Its needles are sharp, but do not fall off quickly. Scotch Pine--This is a highly cultured variety grown specifically for Christmas tree use. Many are "shaped" during their growth process. Needle retention re-tention is good even though excessive drying is common. Johnson says when you are shoppong for a tree, be sure to feel the foliage, shake the tree and bounce the butt end on the pavement. If many of the needles fall off, the tree is probably too dry for inside use. He says after you get your tree home, store it in a cool place with the butt end in water. When you move the tree indoors for decoration, also keep the tree in water. Johnson says cutting the butt end at an angle will give the water-absorbing part of the tree greater surface area and allow it to stay green longer. WRITER: Dennis Hinkamp |
