Tree Care Information for Retail Lots in Warm Weather Areas

Rapid drying of trees can occur in warm, dry market areas such as the Southwest and warm, humid areas
in the Southeast up through Virginia. Heat and drying winds can rapidly reduce the quality of freshly cut
Christmas trees in these areas. Heat damage can result from direct exposure to the sun or transfer of heat
from asphalt and concrete surfaces. Lack of appropriate ventilation can also result in heat build up in storage
structures like tents, trailers or containers.

The key to maintaining maximum freshness in your trees is to protect them from heat, sun, and wind, but
also to use water to maintain high humidity in your storage and display areas.
Ideally, trees awaiting sale to consumers should 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 hot parking lots or against south-facing brick or concrete walls.
• Store trees upright or in shallow piles.
• Never store trees in the sun and always protect them from drying winds.
• Protect trees from high temperatures by storing them in refrigerated trucks set on wet-cycle, by icing loads in storage containers, by covering with moist burlap, or storing them under shade cloth.
• Maintain high relative humidity around stored trees. Mist trees to minimize moisture loss.
• To reduce mold at storage temperatures above 50F, shake trees prior to bailing to remove old dead interior needles and increase ventilation.
• Sell “first in, first out.”

Care of Displayed Trees

• If not previously shaken, shake trees to remove dead needles prior to display.
• Recut the bases of trunks and display trees in water holding stands.
• Protect trees from direct exposure to sun and wind by displaying them in shaded areas if possible.
• Where trees are displayed in tents or other structures, the structures should be well vented to avoid head build-up.
• Avoid displaying trees directly on asphalt of concrete surfaces. If unavoidable, cover the surface with saw dust or another suitable material.
• Maintain high relative humidity in the displayed area by spraying water on the surface of the ground and mist trees at night.
• 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