Christmas trees

By CONNIE MERTZ

‘Tis the season for choosing a Christmas tree. Christmas tree farms, and the work that is involved in caring for firs and pines until they are ready to be harvested, have intrigued me lately. A seedling or transplant can take up to 12 years to reach cutting size. During that time, they need to be trimmed every summer.

Owners will tell you this is no easy task. The hazards of the job include a surprise attack by bees or black snakes intertwined within the tree.

Here in Pennsylvania, Christmas tree growers are being affected by drought conditions. Several have lost this year’s seedlings. Even the trees already cut for shipment to other parts of the state are burning, one source related to me.

In my area, I am proud to live near Hill View Tree Farm in Middleburg. These are the people whose Douglas fir was chosen for the White House. Maple Hill Farms of Lewisburg is also supplying Christmas trees for the East Room, lobby and Portico.

“We’ve been supplying trees for the 20 years throughout the White House,” said “Moose” Craul. He looks forward to meeting the Bush family this year.

What’s the most important thing to do this year in caring for your tree? Amy Bowersox of Hill View Tree Farm said, “Keep the water bin full of water.”

Because of the prolonged drought in certain areas, needles will fall off sooner. It is advised that homeowners cut off less than an inch of the tree when they get it home and immediately put it into water. One way to avoid pre-cut trees is to choose and cut your own. This is quite common and allows families not only to choose, but to tag a tree and return for it closer to Christmas. Some even provide a handsaw.