Dear Don’t Move Firewood,
You say that we shouldn’t move firewood, but don’t Christmas trees move really far before they get to our house? What about that? Can’t that spread pests?
Yours, Concerned about Christmas
Dear Concerned,
Great question. Christmas trees are different from firewood in a few important ways. They are cut while alive- so they need to be very healthy, and they have different types of pest and movement concerns. Here’s a few common concerns, explained for you, or you can refer to our Holiday Greenery page for extensive information:
Real Christmas trees are usually grown in farms– where the tree farmers are highly motivated to grow and sell beautiful bug free trees, year after year. Otherwise they’ll go out of business! So Christmas trees are less likely than firewood to be infested with invasive insects.
Real Christmas trees are well regulated, with various industry regulations governing their safe movement and minimizing their forest pest risks. Much like we advise buying firewood that is locally grown or from a reputable dealer, you can source your christmas trees locally or buy from a well established reputable vendor, making your purchase safer and better.
Disposing if your Christmas tree properly is very important. Either bring it to a Christmas tree recycling program, or throw it out with your regular trash when needed. Don’t burn it in your fireplace (fire hazard) and don’t “put it out back” (pest and weed seed risks). Read our full Disposing of Your Christmas Tree blog on this topic if you want to learn more.
And finally, if you are considering a fake tree:
Real Christmas trees are better for your local economy and the environment. Real trees are usually from a tree farm nearby, or at most a few states away. Artificial trees are nearly always from overseas, and made from energy intensive colored plastics. Keeping your trees Made (Grown!) in the USA is a great choice.