Trying on a Tree; Christmas trees come in every shape, variety, size

BY JOAN O'BRIEN
THE SALT LAKE TRIBUNE

Shopping for a cut Christmas tree entails more than finding that perfect pyramidal form in the lot. There is color to consider, spacing of branches, texture of needles and aroma.

Fortunately, Mother Nature supplies a Christmas-tree inventory with plenty of variety.

``Everybody is different. Everybody has their own idea of what they want,'' says Cliff Robinson, of Kalispell, Mont., a grower whose family operates seven Christmas tree lots in Northern Utah.

Those who want a bushy, shapely tree can buy a Scotch pine; those who like soft, pain-free needles can select a white pine; those who like stiff needles and open branches from which to hang ornaments should choose a noble fir. Those who want an enduring aroma should get the balsam fir.

Some 34 million live trees -- most of them cut as opposed to potted -- will be the holiday centerpiece of U.S. homes this year, according to the National Christmas Tree Association.

Among the most popular are noble fir, Scotch pine, Douglas fir, Fraser fir, white pine and balsam fir, an association spokeswoman says. Ninety-eight percent of those are grown on the nation's 15,000 Christmas tree plantations.

The following are some characteristics of those top-sellers:

• Noble fir: Its needles are more than an inch long, with a bluish-green color that sometimes appears silver. The needles are thrust upward, exposing the lower surface of the branches. Its stiff, spaced branches are ideal for ornament hanging. It also features a nice fragrance.
• Douglas fir: Its needles are 1 to 1 1/2 inches long, soft to the touch and dark green or blue green. The needles radiate in all directions from the branches, which are spread out and may droop. The needles feature a sweet scent when they are crushed.
• Fraser fir: Its flattened needles are 1/2- to 1-inch long and emanate from a broad circular base. The needles are dark green on top and silvery white underneath, giving it a dramatic variegated color. Fraser firs boast uniform pyramidal shapes and strong branches that thrust upward, making them ideal for hanging ornaments. It also retains needles well and has a nice scent.
• Scotch pine: Its needles, produced in bunches of two, vary in length from 1 inch to 3 inches. Its color, too, can vary, with some trees appearing bright green to bluish green. A plantation tree, Scotch pines are sheared to achieve a perfect pyramidal shapes. Its stiff branches are suited for hanging ornaments and it should retain its needles for three to four weeks if kept in water.
• Balsam fir: Similar to the Fraser fir, the balsam fir features spreading needles that are 3/4- to 1 1/2-inches long and somewhat flat and blunt at the tips. Needles emanate from a circular base and, like the Fraser fir, can be variegated in color. Benefits as a Christmas tree include its durable fragrance and needle retention.
• White pine: It is new to Robinson's lot, but he already considers it a favorite. The long needles -- extending 2 1/2 to 5 inches -- are flexible and soft, making the white pine wonderful to touch but tough to decorate. Needles are bluish-green to silver green and arranged in bundles. The white pine retains those needles well if kept watered. It has little fragrance.

These are hardly the only choices available to Christmas-tree shoppers. They may not be big sellers, but alpine firs are what Robinson likes to put in his living room because they remind him of the trees his family decorated when he was a kid.

Utahns who like to go native with their Christmas trees select pinion pines grown in the Intermountain West. They are light green and feature upward-thrusting needles that make ornament-hanging easy. But because they are wild, they are irregularly shaped.

Many people also like another tree common to Utah, the blue spruce. But Robinson advises against most varieties of spruce, unless they are living, potted trees, because they get so dry. ``We sell very little spruce. They are a fire hazard so most dealers steer clear of them.''