Tips for Christmas-tree hunters

Before starting your quest for the perfect Christmas tree, UW–Madison forestry professor Ray Guries suggests doing a little homework on choosing and caring for this holiday centerpiece.

Annual tree sale Buyers can find many varieties at the forestry department’s annual tree sale at the Stock Pavilion, which runs Friday through Sunday, Dec. 3-5. Hours are 8 a.m.-8 p.m. Friday and Saturday, and 9 a.m.-3 p.m. on Sunday. The 22-year tradition supports summer field skill programs for students in forest ecology and management.

Of the five tree varieties available in southern Wisconsin, two ‘premium’ trees — Fraser fir and balsam fir — offer most of what people value, he says. They hold their needles a long time, have excellent needle color and overall symmetry, and produce that classic fragrance (especially balsam fir) that fills the house for weeks. They tend to cost from $35 to $100, however.

Other trees such as white pine and Scots pine may not have all of those attributes, but are more attractively priced at $20 to $50.

White spruce is also found on some lots, but Guries says they tend to lose their needles quickly and do not remain attractive through the holidays. But some people still buy them because of family ‘tradition’.

Extend your tree’s life
With the trend toward putting up trees earlier in the season, Guries says the proper care of trees can add weeks to their life. Guries’ must-do list includes making a half-inch fresh cut off the bottom of the tree just before standing it so it can better absorb water. Larger trees can take up several quarts of water a day and should be watered at least twice daily. The first water added to the tree when you stand it should be very warm tap water that will help disolve some of the resins on the cut face and allow the water to be taken up by the tree. And always keep the tree cool, away from heat sources and air vents.

Incidentally, Christmas trees are big business in Wisconsin, which is one of the nation’s top three producers.