Before decking the halls, consider proper care for your Christmas tree

    The season is almost upon us. The most important element in having a safe living tree in your home is to keep the moisture level high within the needles of your tree. Have an idea of where to safely place the tree away from any heat source. The obvious sources of heat are vents, fireplaces and heaters. Most people don’t think about direct sunlight. Do not spray the tree with flame retardants which dry out the needles faster, according to the Penn State University department of entomology.
    No matter what type of evergreen, make sure you have an adequate size tree stand for the diameter of tree you select. The general rule is 1 quart of water per inch of stem diameter. The best size tree stand should hold a minimum of 1 gallon of water. The tree stand should fit your tree like hand and glove. Don’t make your tree fit your stand. If you take away bark and tissue from the trunk, you may risk removing the outer layers of wood including the vascular tissue/annual rings which uptake water through the rest of the tree.
    If you are taking the tree right home and putting it up since you have cut the bottom, it is not necessary to recut, especially if it is within 12 hours. If you need to recut the bottom, only remove a ¼-inch-thick piece from the base of the trunk. When cutting, keep the cut perpendicular to the stem axis. Why? This will keep it sitting nicely in the tree stand.

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