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Yule Shopping List: Tree

JULIE BUSCH / The Tampa Tribune

Tree salesman Billy Marie grabs a tree from co-worker Ruben Garcia at the Lake Magdalene United Methodist Church location.

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By KEITH MORELLI | The Tampa Tribune

Published: November 26, 2007

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TAMPA - Black Friday is gone, and Cyber Monday is here. Can the invasion of live Christmas tree lots be far off?

Nope.

Already, cut trees are being unloaded into parking lots of schools and churches as fundraising fodder and at grocery and hardware stores for profit. There are bundled spruces and firs, and they stand ready to spend their last days in a good home, guarding presents and offering up that fresh pine smell.

There are small trees, large trees, squat trees, pear-shaped trees and perfect trees. At the lot next to Lake Magdalene Methodist Church on Fletcher Avenue, big trees are the order of the day.

Fraser firs are stacked next to Douglas firs, next to noble firs. The tallest, perhaps 15 feet, reaches toward the center of the tent, with a ribbon at eye level announcing that for a mere $225, you can be the proud owner. Trees in this tent look majestic, and they are priced that way, too.

Majestic is what some people want, said Lance McCullers, whose father started the L&M tree business some 50 years ago. The company has four locations at high schools and churches throughout the county, where they benefit a charity here or a nonprofit group there. The regular-size trees, 6-footers or so, line the perimeter of the tent. Most of them will be gone in the coming weeks, he said.

Though trees are steep in price, there isn't a problem selling them, he said. Mostly the same people come back year after year.

"Over the past six or seven years," said McCullers, bathed in the piney aroma of the trees, "we've seen a lot of people going for the bigger trees. You build a reputation for big trees. It takes a few years, but if you give quality, you get repeat customers."

Prices generally haven't gone up much this year, he said. Maybe $5 a tree. Gasoline prices aren't the main reason for the increase, he said. A truck or freight car can carry a lot more 6-foot trees than 16-footers, he said.

His trees all come from Oregon and North Carolina, he said. They seem heartier than the Michigan and Wisconsin varieties, he said. He opens up earlier each year, it seems, because people want trees earlier.

"Some," he said, "want trees up for Thanksgiving."

Business trickles in during the day, he said, but mostly people come in after work or on the weekends. "The weekends are the best," he said.

At The Home Depot on Dale Mabry Highway near Interstate 275, Lloyd Solomon, the designated "Christmas tree captain," doesn't have much to do.

"We have seven Douglas firs left out of 200," Solomon said this morning. He was waiting for a truckload of nearly 400. Trees at his stand are not as expensive, ranging – for Fraser firs – from $25 for a 5- to 7-footer to $60 for a 9-footer.

Assistant store manager Mike King said the tent went up and trees were sold on the Monday before Thanksgiving. If fresh and kept in water, a hearty tree will last until Christmas, he said, although it might start to lose needles by then.

The shipment coming in Monday morning was cut on Saturday, he said. They come by truck or rail from Oregon or North Carolina, he said.

Again, the price of gasoline somehow didn't play into the price of Christmas trees this year. "There is no price hike over last year," he said.

Christmas tree farms are a viable alternative to buying a tree off a lot. And, according to the TreeHelp.com Web site, there's no question as to when your tree was cut.

Selection also is a plus. Most farms specialize in one or two types, but they have a variety of shapes and sizes. Plus there is the family outing aspect.

Tree Tips

Most of the trees on commercial lots are brought here from far away, sometimes from thousands of miles away, and usually spend days on a truck or train.

Vendors should be able to tell you where the tree was grown and when it was cut.

Buyers should closely inspect the tree, looking for a green and healthy specimen with a strong smell of pine. The needles should be flexible. If the needles are browning, move to the next tree. Don't pick out a tree with broken branches or damaged bark, the tree experts say. Hold it upright and bounce it lightly on the cut end to see how many needles fall. If it's just a sprinkling, the experts say, that's OK. If there is a shower of needles, keep looking.

Size also is a consideration. Big trees always look great, but make sure you have the space. Tree hunters should measure the height and width of the space in their homes and take a tape measure to the tree lot.

The trunk between the bottom branches and the cut should be long enough to accommodate a fresh perpendicular cut, removing about an inch, and still be long enough to plop into a tree stand. The fresh cut helps the tree absorb water, according to the National Christmas Tree Association's Web site. The cut should be made just before placing the tree in water to minimize drying, and don't bruise the cut end or get it dirty.

Once your tree is home, you should get it the stand as quickly as possible. Make sure there is water in the tree stand at all times. Don't shave the sides of the trunk to make it fit the stand, experts say, because the outer layers are the ones that soak up the water.

Never put the tree next to open flames or heating sources. At best, it will dry the tree out more quickly; at worst, it will ignite the tree.

Trees that are properly maintained are not a fire hazard, but don't tempt fate with ornaments that include open flames. The electric lights should be inspected to make sure there are no bare wires. And never leave the lights on when no one is at home.

There are a few options when it comes to discarding the tree. Waste services typically have a tree pickup day. For the more environmentally conscious, standing them in the back yard for use as a bird feeder is an option.

Reporter Keith Morelli can be reached at (813) 259-7760 or kmorelli@tampatrib.com.

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