• How to Select a Christmas Tree - Tuesday, November 18, 2008 at 5:04 PM

  • 1) Check the delivery date
    Most pre-cut Christmas trees were cut several weeks before arriving on the lot. Ask the lot attendant when the trees were cut and delivered. Buy your tree early in the season for the best selection.

    2) "Drop test" for freshness
    To test for freshness, lift the tree a couple of inches off the ground and drop it on its trunk. If it's fresh, green needles should not shed.

    3) Pull on branches
    Another easy way to test for freshness is to hold a tree branch and lightly run your hand outwards. Very few needs should come off if the tree is fresh.

    4) Check the tree trunk
    Check the trunk for straightness. Securing a tree in a stand can be a challenge if the trunk is crooked. You also want to make sure that limbs can be removed without hurting the tree's shape.

    5) Inspect the Christmas tree for insects
    Check your Christmas tree thoroughly for egg masses, insects and other pests.

    6) Be mindful of where you set up your Christmas tree
    Avoid placing your tree near like fireplaces, air ducts, radiators and other heat sources. The ideal height for a Christmas tree is at least four feet below the ceiling height.

    Remember to recycle your Christmas tree after you have enjoyed it and use the mulch created from it throughout your garden.

    Christmas trees are sustainable products. Agromin, the green materials recycler from Ventura and Santa Barbara Counties and portions of Los Angeles County, takes thousands of post-Christmas trees and transforms them into mulch and soil products at its green waste recycling facilities. The finished mulch products are used by local agricultural operations, consumers and landscapers--thus completing the sustainability loop .

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