It’s almost that time of year again when fresh evergreen aromas drift through your home. At Publix, we offer premium North Carolina-grown Fraser firs, which the North Carolina Christmas Tree Association (NCCTA) says is the most popular Christmas tree in North America. According to the NCCTA, before the 1950s, traditional Christmas trees came from the forest, but today 98% of the trees we see in our living rooms come from a tree farm.
Have you ever wondered how the Christmas trees we sell each year make their way to our stores? Grab a glass of eggnog and sit back as we travel through the journey of Fraser firs. We’ll also share tips on how to keep your tree fresh throughout the holiday season.
From Seed to Store
Almost all the Christmas trees at Publix come from Happy Holidays Christmas Trees, based in the Midwest, which has farms all over the United States to provide customers with an array of exceptional Fraser firs.
Did you know it can take 16 years for a Frasier fir to fully mature? Seeds collected from cones of mature trees are planted in beds protected from sunlight and weed competition where they grow for five years.
Afterward, the tree is planted in a field for an additional six to eight years of growing. Farmers visit the trees several times over the years to check on their progress and prune them so they grow in an upward direction. After 12 to 16 years of growth, the trees are mature and ready to be baled and packed for transportation to Publix stores.
Keeping Your Tree Fresh
While our tree farmers take extra steps to keep our Christmas trees fresh, there are some things you can do at home to keep them looking and smelling good throughout the season.
- When picking a spot to place your tree, try to stay away from fireplaces, heaters, vents, stoves, air conditioners and even sunny windows as the heat will dry it out.
- Before placing your tree in its stand, make a fresh, straight cut with a hand saw, about one-half inch from the trunk, removing one-half inch or more from the bottom. Be sure to use a tree stand that holds plenty of water because your tree may soak up a gallon of water in the first 24 hours and a quart each day after.
- Check the water daily and always add fresh water if the level is low. Preservatives are not needed for your Fraser fir to remain fresh; just lots of water.
Recycling Your Tree
When the holidays are over, you can recycle your Christmas tree. The National Christmas Tree Association reports that there are more than 4,000 local Christmas tree recycling programs in the U.S. Some programs use the trees for mulch at zoos, parks, gardens and even for dune restoration. To find a recycling program near you, reach out to your local Department of Public Works.
We hope you enjoyed the journey our Christmas trees take to make it to our stores and learned a tip or two to keep your tree fresh through the holidays. Do you have another tip for keeping Christmas trees fresh? Let us know in the comments below.
Great Article! I need to definitely recycle my tree!