Caring for your fresh tree

---

 Caring for your fresh tree
With proper care, you can maintain the quality of tree throughout the  Christmas season. Below are helpful hints and tips to extend the life of  your Christmas tree:
 

Make a fresh cut
Remove at least a ½ thick disk of wood from the base of the trunk. The  cut should be perpendicular to the trunk – not cut at an angle.
 

Place the tree in water as soon as possible
When you cut your tree at the farm, over half its weight is water. Don’t bruise the cut surface or get it dirty.
 

Use a large enough tree stand for your tree
As a rule of thumb, tree stands should provide 1 quart of water per inch  of stem diameter.  Do not ‘whittle’ down the sides of the tree to fit  the stand.  The outer layers of the tree are the most efficient in  taking up water and shouldn’t be removed.
 

Keep your cut tree away from sources of heat
This includes fireplaces, heaters, heat vents, and direct sunlight.

Check the water level each day
Be sure that the water level does not go below the base of the tree.

When Christmas season is over, give your tree new life!
Chip it, compost it, or recycle it!  Check out the Thurston County website for details on how you can recycle your tree!