Keep a Christmas tree fresh

To keep a real Christmas tree fresh as long as possible, it’s important to buy the freshest one available. Tamara Walkingstick, associate director of the Arkansas Forest Resources Center, recommends asking the retailer how recently a tree was cut, then doing a quick test of its freshness.

“You can judge a tree’s freshness by grabbing a branch and pulling it lightly toward you,” she said. “There should be very few needles falling off in your hand. There are going to be some needles, of course, but if you simply touch that tree and needles are just falling everywhere, then it’s probably not a fresh tree.”

Then, said Walkingstick, it’s a good idea to bounce the tree up and down and make sure that few of the green needles fall from it.

As soon as you get the tree home, cut a half-inch to an inch from its trunk, and put the tree immediately into a bucket of fresh water.

“Your tree stand should allow for at least a quart of water for each inch of the tree trunk’s diameter,” she said.

Here are other tips on keeping your live Christmas tree:

• To keep it fresh in your home, don’t place the tree near heat sources, and make sure to keep the stand full of water.

• Use only the lights designated for indoor use on your tree, and turn the lights off when you can’t keep an eye on them.

• Once you have taken all the necessary precautions, sit back and bask in the glow of your Christmas tree.

• Information provided by the University of Arkansas Cooperative Extension Service.