The Lucknow Sentinel, 1986-12-03, Page 51Natural Christmi.s trees
are safer in the horne
Natural Christmas trees are far
safer than plastic ones in Canadian
homes, the president of the
Christmas Tree Growers' Associa-
tion of Ontario says.
"We've put it to the test," says
Harold Worley of Fournier, Ontario.
"We put a match to a fresh natural
tree and another match to plastic
tree.
"With the artificial tree, fireballs
of melting plastic started dropping
on the rug while the natural tree was
laden with moisture and refused to
catch fire."
He disputed statements from the
Ontario Fire Marshal's office that
artificial trees were safer than
natural ones.
"I'd like to see them perform the
same test, then they'd know what
they're talking about," says Worley.
"It's about time this myth was laid
.to rest."
"When a natural tree is placed
with the butt end in water, it has a
100 per cent moisture content. It's
impossible to ignite."
The only time natural trees could
be dangerous is if they're allowed to
dry out over a considerable length of
time, turningthe moist needles into
dry tinder. Pine and fir are better•
than spruce for retaining moisture.
"In most cases, even a tree which
has been cut and stored for a con-
siderable length of time can be,
regenerated. When set in water, it
will recover and maintain a safe
moisture content."
The secret is to saw an inch or so
off the old base. When a natural tree
dries out, a film forms over the .old
cut which prevents moisture from
being drawn up the trunk into the
branches. Of course, the tree needs a
constant supply of water at its base
as well.
The Christmas Tree Growers'
Association of Ontario represents .:175
growers and tree farm operators
across the' Province.
Across Canada, some 40 per , cent
of Canadian families still.prefer
natural trees, Worley says. Trees
are grown as a field crop with
thousands of acres planted and
thousands of full-time employees and
summer students engaged in trimm-
ing and shaping the trees during
their life span of five to 16 years.
Not allChdstmas
trees are the same
All Christmas trees are not alike.
Not only does each one assume a
unique personality all its own after it
is decorated, each one has certain
characteristics before the ornaments'
are added.
The sturdy Scotch pine` is by far
the'national favorite. It maintains •its
deep green color and its medium
length needles much longer than any
other type. Shedding is definitely' not
arob em with this favorite.
The white pine has needles which
are slightly longer than the Scotch
pine. It is medium green and a
popular choice for "flocking"
because the needles are not as dense
as the Scotch pine.
The white spruce sports very short
needles which are blue-green in col-
or. This type tends to be •densely. '
needled and quite symmetrical. y
The Colorado blue spruce is fast
becoming the country's prestige
Christmas tree. The needles are
longer than any other spruce variety
and range from a beautiful deep
green to a silver blue.
Although types of available trees
may vary from location to locations
the basic truths are the same 'about
virtually all Christmas trees.
*First and by far most important,
be sure your tree stays flame resis-
tant. To do this cut off about two in-
ches of the stem and mount it in a
stand for which you can add water
daily;
*A tree is fresh if the needles bend
instead of breaking. •
*It takes between 6 and 12 years.
for a tree to reach the size most
suitable for a Christmas tree.
*Natural trees are the true symbol
of a "real" Christmas and are used
everywhere, because of their great
variety in size, species and shape.
.Whether you select and decorate
your tree weeks in advance or have
a custom of trimming it on
Christmas Eve, select it with care
and though, treat it to generous
drinks of water and it will add much
joy to your Christmas.
Christmas Gift Guider -Page 1
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