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Cooperative Extension Service |
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Agricultural
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Dale Bumpers College
Division Home |
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| Dustin Blakey County Extension Agent - Agriculture |
Jesse Bocksnick County Extension Agent - 4-H |
[Title slide - River Valley Gardening, Christmas Tree Safety, Dustin Blakey County Extension Agent for the University of Arkansas Division of Agriculture]
[Dustin Blakey] Now that the official holiday shopping season is underway, you may be thinking of buying a Christmas tree. There’s nothing better than a real tree to show your holiday spirit, but there’s some steps you should take to ensure your family is fire safe.
Hi, this is Dustin Blakey, County Extension Agent with the University of Arkansas Cooperative Extension Service.
[Picture of a decorated tree] Each year roughly 200 homes catch on fire due to improper care and selection of Christmas trees. With a few simple steps this can be completely prevented.
The greatest risk of fire is the use of dry trees. [Picture of a dry tree]
In this clip you can see the difference between a properly hydrated scotch pine, and a dry one. In a matter of seconds a small flame can explode into wild conflagration. As you can see, it’s important to keep a tree from drying out. [Video showing two burning trees]
The first, and perhaps most important step, is to start with a fresh tree. [Picture of a tree farm] Generally speaking, locally grown trees will be the freshest. You need to be careful before buying trees shipped from the north and are stacked for weeks on the side of a building, waiting for someone to adopt them. [Picture of cut trees stacked against a building]
You often can’t judge freshness from color as many trees are dyed, but a good test you can do is to lift the tree a few inches above the ground and drop its cut end. [Picture of tree branches]There should be no needles falling off. At a tree lot, the seller will be able to tell you how long ago the trees were cut. Run, don’t walk, from any trees that are brittle, grayish, or wilted. [Video if the running of the bulls]
[Video of someone sawing the base of a tree] When you select your tree, either have the retailer re-cut the base or do it yourself when you get home. [Picture of a saw] This will improve the tree’s ability to absorb water.
[Picture of a tree stand] Of course all the freshness and cutting won’t help if you forget to check the water level every day. [Picture of a water pitcher] A tree can easily use a quart of water every day.
[Picture of an electric space heater] Place your tree so that it is not located near a heat source as this will obviously dry out the tree. [Picture of electric Christmas lights] Along these lines, remember that incandescent Christmas lights can generate a surprising amount of heat. Because of this, it’s a good idea to turn the lights off when you’re in bed or away from home. Don’t worry: Santa will still find the tree! [Picture of Santa Clause]
Christmas lights make the perfect ignition source, so it’s important to make sure that your light set has been approved by a safety laboratory. [Picture of man in an electric testing lab] Before you hang your lights, make sure you test them out to make sure they are in working order and there are no exposed wires or broken lights. [Video of someone checking Christmas lights for exposed wires and broken lights]
Some lights are for outdoor use only. Make sure the type you are using are the correct type for your situation. [Picture of the Capital with a lit decorated Christmas tree outside at night]
As soon as the holiday season is over, you should get the tree out of your house as soon as possible. [Picture of a man dragging a Christmas tree] And even if Christmas has not arrived, any tree that suddenly sheds its needles probably needs to be taken outside.
[Picture of the lit Christmas tree outside at night surrounded by snow] Whether you use a real tree or a fake one, enjoy this holiday season safely.
[Title slide - Contact your city to find out how to dispose of Christmas trees in your area. For more information contact dblakey@uaex.edu Happy Holidays]
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