As the holiday season approaches one of the biggest questions on people’s minds is what makes the perfect Christmas tree. Approximately 25-30 million live Christmas trees are sold annually in the U.S, according to the National Christmas Tree Association. On average there are 350 million trees being grown, with the top Christmas tree producing states being Oregon, North Carolina, Michigan, Pennsylvania, Wisconsin and Washington.
Seth Altemus sells Christmas trees, at the corner of Virginia and Kietzke. He says there are several benefits to putting up a live tree.
“A real tree is really nice because it brings that mountain fresh fragrance into the home. A lot of people prefer real trees, because they're prettier and plastic sometimes can off-gas and get dusty over time. So it's good for the lungs to breathe in the fresh air from the trees, from the needles,” he said.
Altemus has been selling trees for about 20 years. The trees come from a tree farm in Oregon. He says customers will walk around the lot and look for something they like — almost as if they were searching in a forest.
At his lot, you can find different types of trees, such as silver tips and Douglas fir, however there’s a particular tree he recommends.
“The most popular tree, it is also the most expensive, is the noble fir. They're popular because they tend to not dry out. They tend to hold their water. Also, they're trimmed in a way where they can be real full with lots of different branches to hang ornaments. So the noble fir is kind of the king of the Christmas trees,” he said.
When looking for a Christmas tree you’ll want to make sure the tree is as fresh as possible. This ensures it will last longer.
“You want to look at the needles, and if the needles are still green, and you can put your hands on them and pull on the needles a little bit. If the needles stay on the branches, then that's a good sign the tree is fresh,” Altemus said.
While he doesn’t think there is a con when it comes to buying real trees, it’s also important to remember that real trees do come with more maintenance.
“So keeping it watered is the number one tip. And then also not putting it by a heat source. Definitely make sure it's not near a heater and not near the fireplace and just keep up on the water,” he said.
Over at Moana Nursery, members of Boy Scout Troop 15 and 35, are selling Christmas trees. Nirav Vayya, Lucas Grayson, and Jacob Julius, talked about their own personal preferences on what makes for a good Christmas tree.
“When you imagine or draw a Christmas tree, it's that triangular shape. Noble firs basically resemble that. They're very full, perfect for ornaments, lights, et cetera,” Vayya said.
“I'd probably look for pretty bushy because the green looks better than the trunk.
Not super tall because you got to be able to put the ornaments on,” Grayson said .
“For me personally, I'd probably look for something that's the greenest, the most alive, and again, like something that's bushy, but not too bushy. And not too sparse like a silver tip. So probably something like a noble or Douglas fir. Not too tall because you want to put the ornaments on and still be able to fit it on your house,” Julius said .
Troops 15 and 35 maintain the entire Christmas tree lot at Moana. They also get their trees from a tree farm in Oregon. Everything from the lighting to the knots holding up the trees are all the boy scouts’ work. Proceeds from all the sales go to the troops.
“So this basically pays off almost everything for us. All the proceeds that these trees make go straight to us in troop 35,” Vayya said .
“Usually Boy Scout troops, you'll see them outside selling popcorn. We do this in cooperation with troop 35. And what we do is, we get the Christmas trees and we sell them as our main fundraiser for the year. So we can do fun activities like we're going to do a high venture camp in Canada and go canoeing down the different passages in Canada,” Julius said.
The boy scouts say the troops have been doing this for about 30 years. And they always end up selling out their entire inventory.
Both places are expected to be around right until Christmas or while supplies last. So now is the time to go out and pick the perfect tree.
