Tree Care Information for Retail Lots in Cold Weather Areas

In cold market areas, such as the inland Pacific Northwest, upper Midwest down through northern
Arizona and New Mexico, the Prairie and Lake states, and the Northeastern U. S. down through
Pennsylvania and West Virginia, freezing temperatures and drying winds are enemies of freshly cut
Christmas trees. The key to maintaining maximum freshness in your trees is to protect them from the
elements whenever possible.

Damage to trees potentially can occur whenever the natural moisture in the tree's needles freezes
or when cold, drying winds remove this moisture. Freeze damage to needles occurs due to the rate of
freezing and not to the rate of thawing. The greatest damage occurs when there is a sudden drop in
temperature and water within the cells does not have enough time to move into the spaces between
the cells before it freezes.

Lack of appropriate ventilation can also result in heat build up in display structures like greenhouses.
Ideally, trees awaiting sale to consumer would be stored at temperatures from 34 to 50 F with high
relative humidity. If these conditions do not occur naturally, there are a number of steps that can be
taken to maintain the freshness of the trees on your lot.
An important second step in providing consumers with high quality trees is to give your customers a
few tips on how to properly care for their tree once it leaves your lot.

Care in Storage

• When possible, arrange for multiple deliveries of fresh trees.
• Avoid piling trees on parking lots or against south-facing brick or concrete walls.
• Never store trees in the sun and always protect them from temperature extremes and drying winds.
• Trees vary in their tolerance to freezing temperatures. Sensitive species, such as coastal types of Douglas-fir, need to be protected from exposure to extreme low temperatures to avoid needle loss problems.
• Minimize handling of frozen trees since this has the potential to cause extensive needle damage and broken branches.
• Sell “first in, first out.”

Care of Displayed Trees

• If not previously shaken, shake trees to remove dead needles prior to display.
• Protect displayed trees from direct exposure to sun and drying winds if possible.
• Where trees are displayed in structures like greenhouses, the structures should be well vented to avoid head build-up.
• If possible, maintain high relative humidity in the displayed area.
• Monitor tree freshness and discard trees that show evidence of excessive drying and/or needle loss.
• Recut the base of the tree for the consumer and emphasize the benefits of displaying trees in water holding stands.

These are general recommendations and additional steps may be needed to protect trees from extremes in
environmental conditions that may occur at your retail location. For additional information on the handling
and care of Christmas trees, check out the following link: http://www.ba.ars.usda.gov/hb66/contents.html