Which Christmas Tree is Right for Me?

With the holidays fast approaching, many consumers are looking forward to purchasing a Christmas tree, be it live or artificial. When it comes to the purchase of live trees, there are many different varieties sold on tree farms, in grocery stores, or on street corners. The following is a guide depicting each tree's characteristics and how they fare as a holiday tree.

WHITE PINE: The largest pine in the U.S., the White Pine has soft, flexible needles and is bluish-green in color. Needles are 2 ½ - 5 in. long. White Pine's have good needle retention, but have little aroma. They aren't recommended for heavy ornaments

WHITE SPRUCE: The White Spruce is excellent for ornaments; it's short, stiff needles are ½ - 3/4 in. long and have a blunt tip. They are bluish-green - green in color, but have a bad aroma when needles are crushed. They have excellent foliage color and have a good, natural shape. The needle retention is better in a White Spruce than it is among other spruces.

FRASER FIR: The Fraser fir branches turn slightly upward. They have good form and needle-retention. They are dark blue-green in color. They have a pleasant scent and excellent shipping characteristics as well

COLORADO BLUE SPRUCE: Often used for stuffing pine-pillows, these sharp needles are 1 - 1 ½ in. in length. This species is bluish-gray in color and has a bad odor when needles are crushed. This Christmas tree has good symmetrical form and has an attractive blue foliage. It also has good needle retention

CONCOLOR FIR: These small, narrow needles are around 1 - 1 ½ in. in length and occur in rows. They have good foliage color, good needle retention, and a pleasing shape and aroma.

DOUGLAS FIR: These soft needles are dark green - blue green in color and are approximately 1 - 1 ½ in. in length. The Douglas Fir needles radiate in all directions from the branch. When crushed, these needles have a sweet fragrance. They are one of the top major Christmas tree species in the U.S.

BALSAM FIR: These needles are 3/4 - 1 ½ in. in length and last a very long time. This tree has a dark-green appearance and retains its pleasing fragrance throughout the Christmas season

SCOTCH PINE: Approximately 1 in. in length, these needles don't even fall when they're dry, providing excellent needle retention. The color is a bright green. The most common Christmas tree in the U.S., the scotch pine has an excellent survival rate, is easy to replant, has great longevity and will remain fresh throughout the holiday season

NOBLE FIR: These needles turn upward, exposing the lower branches. Known for its beauty, the noble fir has long keep ability, and its stiff branches make it a good tree for heavy ornaments, as well as providing excellent greenery for wreaths and garland

LEYLAND CYPRESS: The most popular Christmas tree in the South-East, the Leyland Cypress is dark green - gray in color and has very little aroma. Because it is not in the Pine or Fir family, it does not produce sap, so that those with an allergy to sap can still enjoy a Leyland as their Christmas tree.

VIRGINIA PINE: These branches are stout and woody and respond very well to trimming. It is small- medium in size and its foliage becomes extremely dense. Aside from being a good nesting site for woodpeckers, the Virginia pine continues to be the most popular Christmas tree in the South.

If you still can't decide between a real tree or an artificial tree, consider this:

Christmas trees are biodegradable - the trunk and branches can be used as mulch for gardens, parks or in animal stalls. The mulch provides a protective barrier for the roots of other plants and vegetation while preventing weeds from growing. The mulch then decomposes, providing the nutrients plants need to thrive. Artificial trees, on the other hand, are a petroleum based product manufactured in mostly Chinese factories. A burden to the environment, artificial trees aren't biodegradable and will remain in land-fills for centuries after disposal. The average number of years people use an artificial tree before throwing it away is only six to nine years. Finally, real trees are good for the environment. Every acre of Christmas trees grown produces the daily oxygen requirement for 18 people. In the United States there are approximately 1 million acres of growing Christmas trees; that means that 18 million people a day are supplied with oxygen thanks to Christmas trees.