There has been much debate between the fire safety of an artificial Christmas tree versus the fire hazard of a real Christmas tree. While its seem intuitive to most that a real Christmas tree must be more of a fire hazard than a “fire-proof” artificial Christmas tree, the reality does not support that conclusion. With proper care, a real Christmas tree is a perfectly safe choice for a Christmas tree.

To enjoy a fresh Christmas tree and avoid undue fire hazards, you should follow these best practices: Buy a FRESH Christmas tree, LOCATE your tree in a safe place in your home, properly CARE for your Christmas tree during the Christmas season, DECORATE your Christmas tree with safe decorations, and REMOVE your Christmas tree when the tree is no longer fresh.

FRESHNESS

The very first step to Christmas tree safety is to buy a fresh Christmas tree. The best guarantee for a fresh tree is to purchase your Christmas tree on-line or to cut your own from a National Forest or from a Christmas tree farm or plantation. If you purchase on-line, make certain that the on-line retailer commits to cut and ship your tree within 1-3 days of your purchase.

Freshness of trees purchased at Christmas tree lots is a greater challenge. Most trees sold at Christmas tree lots are cut any where from 4-6 weeks before they are delivered to the Christmas tree lot. Add a few more weeks from arrival to the sale of the tree and you might be purchasing a tree that was cut 2 months before you purchased it. There are several ways to test freshness of a tree. One way is to bending the needles to see if they are brittle (which means the tree is very dry and not fresh) of if they are malleable (a good indication of freshness). Another way is to shake the tree to see how many needles fall off the tree (the greater the volume of fallen needles, the less fresh the tree is).

If you purchase your tree at a Christmas tree lot, ask the attending sales person to make a fresh cut of 1 to 2 inches on the trunk. When you get the tree home, you should immediately place the trunk of the tree in water to prevent the fresh cut from sealing itself and thus not being able to absorb water.

LOCATION/PLACEMENT

One of the key safety practices for real Christmas trees is its placement in the home. You should place your tree away from heat sources, electrical appliances such as TVs which generate heat or open fires. This will reduce the fire risk and prevent the tree from drying out too quickly.

CARE

The most important aspect of caring for your real Christmas tree is making certain that it receives adequate water. When you bring your tree home, if it has not already been done at the time of purchase, you should cut from 1 to 2 inches off the end of the trunk to open a new route for water to travel into the tree. In addition, might consider drilling a few shallow holes along the base of the trunk to permit more water absorption since the outer rings of a tree absorb the most water.
Make certain that you have the right size stand. The National Christmas Tree Association recommends that that one quart of water for each inch of the trunk's diameter.

You should check the water level daily. If the water drops below the trunk, the trunk may seal itself and not be able to absorb water.

DECORATIONS

According to the National Fire Prevention Association (http://www.nfpa.org/), more than 15% of all Christmas tree fires are caused by improper or defective lighting. These and other fire mishaps can easily be prevented by following a few safety tips recommended by the National Safety Council (www.nsc.org/library/facts/xmastree) when decorating your tree:

• Never place lighted candles on or near your tree
• Inspect light sets prior to placing them on the tree and replace all worn sets.
• Do not overload electrical circuits. Use no more than three standard-size sets of lights per single extension cord.
• Always turn off the tree lights when leaving the house or when going to bed.
• Use only non-combustible or flame-resistant materials to trim a tree.

DISPOSAL

At the end of the Christmas Season or when the tree starts to drop needles, you need to remove the tree from your house. Place it outside pending disposal, but never in the garage. Never burn any part of a Christmas tree in a wood stove or fireplace. The best method of disposal from an environmental perspective is to recycle your real Christmas tree. Some municipalities will retrieve your discarded tree from the gutter. Others make available drop off points where your tree can be recycled. Several websites permit you to locate the recycle centers closest to your home: http://www.earth911/ or the National Christmas Tree Association’s website: http://www.realchristmastrees.org/ .