Keeping Holidays Green with Proper Tree Care

Contact: Louis Morin, 5812854

With a backdrop of UMaine’s School of Forest Resources’ annual holiday tree sale at Nutting Hall, forest resources instructor Louis Morin is available to discuss proper care of holiday trees to keep them healthy, robust and – more important – safe indoors during the holiday season.

While many people like the convenience of having an artificial tree in their home, others enjoy the tradition of heading out with the family to cut their own or buy a freshly cut tree. Buying a tree from a local tree farm helps the local economy, Morin says, and the environmental impact of those farms is substantial. A tree farm converts carbon dioxide to oxygen, thus removing carbon from the atmosphere, he explains. A young stand also is more aggressive in removing carbon from the air than an older, larger stand.

Morin says there’s more to keeping indoor holiday trees beautiful and healthy through the holidays than merely watering it to retain fragrant, hearty needles. The key to getting the most out of a tree has a lot to do with the health of the tree and when it is cut, he says. Whether a balsam fir, renowned for fragrance, or a Fraser fir, known for long-lasting, blue-green needles, all trees react to the approach of freezing temperatures and instinctively drain their sap so it won’t freeze, swell and crack the wood, Morin says.

It’s best to cut before the ground freezes, but after a couple of good hard frosts, he says, to ensure that the tree still has some life-sustaining sap left in it. Now is the perfect time to harvest a holiday tree.

While aesthetics are important, safety is more so, Morin adds. If a tree stand dries up, the cambium layer, the circulatory system for a tree, dries up and seals itself, preventing water absorption from that point on. “As the tree dries out, it becomes very flammable,” he says. Consumers should take care to keep candles or any other source of flame at a safe distance, and also select lighting that is not prone to heating up.

Some trees can require as much as two liters of water a day, Morin says.

Before setting the tree in its stand, he suggests using a utility knife to cut a beveled edge around the trunk of the tree exposing cambium layer, the tree’s inner bark, and then fill the tree stand with hot water – not quite boiling – for its first watering. This stimulates the capillary action and begins drawing water.

Morin can be reached at 581-2854 or by email at lmorin@maine.edu to discuss proper tree selection, care and important safety tips for the holiday season.

The School of Forest Services’ Xi Sigma Pi forestry honor society’s annual scholarship tree sale runs through Sunday, Dec. 12, or until the trees sell out, in the courtyard at Nutting Hall. Trees 4′ to 8′ tall are available from 3-4:30 p.m. Monday through Thursday; 12-5 p.m. Friday; 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday; and 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Sunday. Prices range from $15 to $38. The society uses proceeds for its scholarship fund.

The trees are purchased from UMaine alum Toby Hall and his wife Cynthia’s Hall’s Christmas Tree Farm in Sangerville.

In addition, the UMaine Horticulture Club is raising funds for field trips and educational activities through a wreath sale. Custom-made wreaths can be ordered by calling club member Katey Coulling at (207) 756-5553 or email kathleen.coulling@umit.maine.edu. Prices based on wreath size range from $12 to $28, plus the cost of additional decorations.