CHRISTMAS TREE TIPS
• Prices vary depending on vendor and height, but figure approximately $25-$40 for a Douglas fir and $70-$80 for a noble fir. A 15-foot super-premium noble fir could run upwards of $150.
• When choosing a tree, look for color (you typically want a deep forest green, depending on the type), and make sure you can’t easily pull the needles off – that they are firmly attached.
• Never let a tree go dry, and do not place it near a fireplace or heating outlet such as a baseboard.
• Forget about adding aspirin or 7-Up to the water. Plain water, and lots of it, works just fine. Figure one quart per one inch of diameter at the stump-base of the tree.
CHRISTMAS TREE TRIVIA
• In 2011, Christmas trees marked 23rd place — between red raspberries and barley — among Washington’s top agricultural commodities; the crop was valued at $42.6 million.
• For a look at the history of Christmas trees, visit the National Christmas Tree Association at www.christmastree.org.
• Oregon supplied the nation’s greatest number of trees in 2009, at 7.5 million; Washington was sixth, with 2.3 million trees.
• The 2007 tree at Rockefeller Center in New York City came from Shelton — Shelton, Conn.
• Approximately 30 million Christmas trees are sold annually in the United States.
• 350 million Christmas trees are currently growing in the U.S., and they are growing on approximately 350,000 acres.
• 15,000 farms grow Christmas trees in the U.S., and more than 100,000 people are employed in the industry full or part time.
• The nation’s most popular trees are balsam, Douglas, Fraser and noble firs; and Scotch, Virginia and white pines.
C.R. Roberts: 253-597-8535
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