'Tis the Season For Picking A Perfect Christmas Tree

It’s the holiday season—and that means the smell of Christmas trees is in the air.

One of the things countless people look forward to each and every year is the beauty and smell of a fresh-cut evergreen tree in their homes.  Every family has their own time-honored traditions during the holiday season that are passed down from generation to generation—and for many, that includes spending a fun-filled day out looking for that perfect Christmas tree and creating memories that last a lifetime. While nothing can beat the fresh, aromatic smell of an evergreen tree, there are also a number of other benefits to choosing the real thing:

Helping us to breathe easier: It’s estimated that one acre of real Christmas trees helps to remove more than 500 pounds of carbon dioxide from the environment, as well as has the potential to provide the daily oxygen requirement for up to 18 people. In addition, they also help to remove pollen and dust from our air.

Way to grow: Harvesting Christmas trees actually helps to grow more trees—that’s because for every one harvested, two to three seedlings are planted in its place.

 A long life cycle: Think a Christmas tree’s life ends when you take it down for the season?  Think again.  Trees that are recycled properly can be chipped and burned as fuel, used as mulch or composted.  In addition, Christmas trees and limbs are also often used to provide fish habitat in ponds, as well as used on beaches to control erosion. 

If you do choose to get a real tree for the holidays, here are a few tips you might want to consider when picking out and putting up your tree:

• Choose a tree with fresh, green needles;
• Cut roughly two inches from the base of the trunk before placing the tree in a stand;
• Make sure the tree is at least three feet away from any heat source such as a fireplace, radiator, heat vents, lights or candles; and
• Add water to tree stand daily

When it comes to Christmas trees, there’s nothing like the real thing.  This holiday season, I encourage you to consider choosing a real, farm-grown tree or evergreen wreath to help get your home holiday-ready.