Christmas trees deserve tender, loving care, says tree expert

Christmas trees are living plants and should be treated with care from the time they are cut, says a Dalhousie University tree expert.

RajLada, who spoke recently toCBC'sInformation MorningMonctonabout Christmas tree care, said balsam fir Christmas trees require the same level ofcare during transportation as a potted rose bush.

"The trees are still living and they shouldn't be treated as dead wood," he said.

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Lada works at the Christmas Tree Research Centre in Bible Hill, N.S., an institution whose research focuses primarily on balsam fir Christmas trees.

How to avoid needle loss

More specifically, the centre is concerned with the number of needles these trees lose after their harvesting "one of the major threats to our industry" and is developing tools to address this issue, he said.

Care during harvesting and transportation is important, he said.

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Some tips to avoid ending up with dried-out, needle-shedding trees include:

• Avoiding putting trees nextheaters.
• Make sure trees are in areas where sunlight will reach them.
• Wipe off stumps and give tree stems a fresh cutto help get the water flowing into the tree.

"Don't forget to water it every day and replace the water,"Ladaadded.

And if possible, make sure the water is fresh rather than topping up the supply, he said.

As for decorating the trees,LED lights are the best option, he said, andlights in the colour spectrums of red and white"are the best possible thing for keeping the needles for a long period time."