For those people shopping for Christmas trees after Thanksgiving, the St. Lucie County Extension Office would like to share a few simple procedures to help make the selection of the perfect Christmas tree a little easier.

- Determine the proper height and fullness for the tree before you go shopping. Freshness is also an important factor.

- The needles should be resilient, but not brittle. Try running your finger down a branch. The needles should adhere to each twig.

- Shake or bounce the tree on the ground lightly to make sure the needles are firmly attached. If only a few drop off, the tree is fresh and with proper care should retain its freshness indoors throughout the holiday season.

- Feel the bottom of the stump. If the sap is sticky and moist, you have a fresh tree. If the sap is hard and caked, it is not fresh.

- The limbs should be strong enough to hold ornaments and strings of electric lights.

- The tree should have a strong fragrance and good green color.

Once home, cut the butt of the tree at a diagonal one inch above the original cut and place it in a stand of water in a shady, cool place. Enjoy your holiday tree.

The National Christmas Tree Association publishes annual statistics on the sale of Christmas trees and the numbers are large: 20 million to 30 million real trees are purchased each holiday season.

About 500,000 acres of Christmas trees are in production in the U.S. For every real Christmas tree harvested, up to three seedlings are planted in place the following spring.

Ken Gioeli is the University of Florida’s Natural Resource Agent for St. Lucie County. His address is St. Lucie County Cooperative Extension, 8400 Picos Road Suite 101, Fort Pierce, FL 34945 or e-mail your request to ktgioeli@ufl.edu.

Tags: christmas, holiday, trees

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