The choices for selecting a New Jersey grown live tree are many. You can choose to cut your own tree, or pick a live tree and have it cut for you, or buy a live tree already cut.



To extend the experience to a family fun event, you can venture off to a Christmas tree farm that offers sleigh rides, hay rides and related winter events and fun.

A fresh-cut Christmas tree not only will bring warmth, beauty and the rich scents of the season to your home, but also will last throughout the holidays if given proper care.

Christmas trees are a renewable resource. They are grown as a crop; planted, sheared, and cultivated to be harvested for your enjoyment! Where each tree is cut, a new seedling will be planted. Christmas tree farms not only provide beautiful greenbelts throughout New Jersey, they also are environmentally sound. They consume huge amounts of carbon dioxide and reintroduce large quantities of oxygen into the atmosphere, thus cleansing the air that we breathe. One acre of Christmas trees produces the daily oxygen requirement for 18 people.

The selection of a live Christmas tree.

When choosing a tree, select one that best suits your needs. Determine where will it be located in your home and what type of ornaments you have - are they heavy or light? These considerations will help you select the species, the height, shape and density. Amongst the variety of species of Christmas trees grown in New Jersey, the best choices for needle retention are all the pines; Austrian, Scotch, White and Mexican Border. The Douglas-fir, Concolor, and Fraser Fir are also excellent. The Colorado blue spruce is very good, and the Norway and White Spruces are fair.

It is difficult to gauge the height of trees in the field. Check with the Christmas tree farm, they usually have measuring sticks available. Even though you cannot cut your tree exactly even with the ground and you will need to cut an additional bit off the bottom of your tree when you get home, your stand will add about four inches and your top piece another four inches to the final height of your tree. Therefore, it is recommended that you choose a tree that is somewhat shorter than the height of your ceiling.

The Care of the live Christmas tree

With a few simple steps, you can enjoy your tree throughout the holiday season!

A fresh cut tree, brought home in advance of bringing it indoors for decorating, should be placed in a container of water, in a cool shaded area, sheltered from the wind. If kept outside, make sure the water supply does not freeze. Before bringing it indoors, cut off an inch from the butt end. This fresh cut will enable the tree to soak up water. Put the tree in a stand, which can hold one to two gallons of water. Since fresh cut trees absorb a pint to a quart of water each day, check water level at least once daily and always keep water level above the cut end. Always keep the butt of the tree in water. If it has been out of water for more than a few hours, the sap will seal the cut trunk and it will no longer absorb water. Keeping a tree stand filled with water will prevent needle drop and prolong the tree's freshness and color.

Select a location inside your home that is not too close to a fireplace, heat duct or radiator. Place tree in tree stand with plastic netting on. This makes it easier to move and straighten tree. Netting can be removed once the tree is set up.

The tree will take a couple of hours to return to its natural shape once the netting is removed. Fill the stand with water. On the initial fill, warm or hot water is beneficial.

Disposal and recycling of your Christmas tree.

The disposal and recycling of Christmas trees can be coordinated with your local Municipal Government, who usually offers a recycling program. The trees are chipped into mulch and made available free of charge to homeowners. These trees may also be placed in your yard, where birds can make use of them either as a winter shelter or as a feeding station, if food is hung from the branches.

A Christmas tree is biodegradable; its branches may be removed and used as mulch in the garden. For proper Christmas tree disposal, check with your local municipality.

Copyright 2006 New Jersey Leisure Guide