Real Christmas Trees

[troutman]

Originally Posted by dino7c

Plastic tree that is made in a factory and ends up in a landfill is far worse for the environment than harvesting a tree

Greenest Christmas tree — real, artificial or other?

http://www.davidsuzuki.org/what-you-...ristmas-trees/

The research team at Ellipsos has provided a definitive answer. In its study, the real tree emerges victorious!

According to Ellipsos, the artificial tree has three times more impacts on climate change and resource depletion than the natural tree. That's assuming your artificial tree lasts six years. If your tree will last more than 20 years and if you'd have to drive a long way to buy a real tree, the opposite becomes true.

[Rjcsjc62]

Can anyone confirm if the Christmas Tree lot on Macleod & Heritage is up and running yet? I normally don't buy one this early, but I need to get one this week.

Thanks in advance.

It's open. Only takes cash or cheques.

[morgin]

Bump for 2015.

Have never got a real tree myself but figure this year I will. Happened to be at the Blue Grass Nursery up in Balzac and saw they have like 5 different types. Seem to run around $100 for a 7' premium. They are all roped up so you can't see how they look though.

Share your secrets cpuck. Where do you get your trees, how much, how many weeks before xmas?

[Wormius]

Not sure if we'll do a tree. Depends how much time we will spend in Calgary before going on holidays. It just doesn't seem worth it for a week or so of enjoyment.

I did enjoy last year getting hauling the family out to the Junior Forest Warden's Xmas tree lot in Sibbald. Trees aren't super fantastic, but after you've razzle-dazzled them with ornaments and tinsel they do the job.

I know its not really in vogue / fire hazard now, but having old incandescent lights on a real pine tree are amazing. The pine smell is awesome.

[Canehdianman]

I always go cut one down with my brothers. We get a tree each (3 total) for $5. Plus its a fun day out in the woods.

[keratosis]

Originally Posted by Canehdianman

I always go cut one down with my brothers. We get a tree each (3 total) for $5. Plus its a fun day out in the woods.

The Mrs and I need to do that again. We have a real tree every year, but would be nice to go out and get my own again.

[Canehdianman]

Originally Posted by keratosis

The Mrs and I need to do that again. We have a real tree every year, but would be nice to go out and get my own again.

http://aep.alberta.ca/forms-maps-ser...e-cutting.aspx

[GGG]

We are chopping down a tree for the first time. My goal is to recreate Christmas va action as faithfully as possible. Currently looking for an old station Wagon.

How do you avoid scratching up your car. Do you strait to the roof or put it inside

[keratosis]

Use a ski rack or wrap it in a tarp.

[DownhillGoat]

Originally Posted by GGG

How do you avoid scratching up your car. Do you strait to the roof or put it inside

Put it in the box of the truck .

If you don't have roof racks/crossbars, you can buy cheap(ish) temporary foam ones that strap through the car. Wrap the tree in poly or a tarp.

[CorsiHockeyLeague]

Originally Posted by Slava

Get a permit and go cut your own. It will be a Charlie Brown kind of tree, most likely, but such a great time! It's just a fun day. It's also like $5 for a permit as compared to whatever the lots are charging.

My family in BC has done this (super illegally) for years. It's like a tradition. Find one that looks good from the ground, climb up and top 'er. I'm wondering when my cousin will finally fall to his death.

[calgarygeologist]

One of these years I'll get a permit to cut down a tree with the family but for the past few years I've been getting my trees from Ikea. The trees are decent quality and are full, thick and fresh. It only costs $20 and the money goes to some charity plus you get a $20 rebate coupon that can be used in January.

[Wormius]

Originally Posted by GGG

We are chopping down a tree for the first time. My goal is to recreate Christmas va action as faithfully as possible. Currently looking for an old station Wagon.

How do you avoid scratching up your car. Do you strait to the roof or put it inside

I would bring some kind of old blanket to wrap the tree up in. It will also keep needles from falling all over the place when you move the tree inside. You don't believe how those things shed needles when so much as looked at.

I am sure you meant "chop" as a catch all term, but I would bring a saw. An axe might be a bad.

Though not necessary, some kind of sled or toboggan might help to get the tree back to your car.

[Minnie]

Me and the kid were out to Forgetmenot Pond today and came across an SUV convoy of about 6 vehicles, all with xmas trees strapped to their roofs, stopped along the side of 66. Almost stopped to snap a picture. Gorgeous out there today.

[Poe969]

I've had a real tree every year for my entire life and I was almost insulted when my wife said we should get a fake one. She then said that if we are getting a real one, we should go out and cut down our own, I'm kind of against that for a few reasons; as pointed out earlier in the thread, there are actual Christmas Tree farms that employ a lot of people so it's helping the economy. Cutting down a random tree in nature can't be good for nature as there really isn't something to replace it unless you plant one but even still the new tree would take a lot longer to grow and effect the ecosystem. It's not the same as getting a farmed one because a farmed tree isn't taking one from nature, it's just taking it from a farm but that's just my opinion. But I think the most important one is that the tree that you go cut down in the forest never really looks as good. My brother in law always goes out and cuts a tree down with his family and it always looks like a crappy charlie brown tree. He counters that it's a fun day out in the woods but I always say that my wife, son and I can go out to the woods and still have fun doing stuff without having the stress of arguing which tree to get.

My big question for everyone here who gets a real tree is, what kind of stand do you get?? We had a really basic one and it ended up leaking and making a mess so we threw it out. What are the best tree stands out there???

[Fuzz]

We used to always get our trees from under the power line, as they have to be cut down anyway, so you aren't really removing one form nature that wouldn't get the axe anyway.

[DuffMan]

Home Depot, get a $25 gc with it. give as xmas gift or use.

[Simon96Taco]

Originally Posted by Poe969

I've had a real tree every year for my entire life and I was almost insulted when my wife said we should get a fake one. She then said that if we are getting a real one, we should go out and cut down our own, I'm kind of against that for a few reasons; as pointed out earlier in the thread, there are actual Christmas Tree farms that employ a lot of people so it's helping the economy. Cutting down a random tree in nature can't be good for nature as there really isn't something to replace it unless you plant one but even still the new tree would take a lot longer to grow and effect the ecosystem. It's not the same as getting a farmed one because a farmed tree isn't taking one from nature, it's just taking it from a farm but that's just my opinion. But I think the most important one is that the tree that you go cut down in the forest never really looks as good. My brother in law always goes out and cuts a tree down with his family and it always looks like a crappy charlie brown tree. He counters that it's a fun day out in the woods but I always say that my wife, son and I can go out to the woods and still have fun doing stuff without having the stress of arguing which tree to get.

My big question for everyone here who gets a real tree is, what kind of stand do you get?? We had a really basic one and it ended up leaking and making a mess so we threw it out. What are the best tree stands out there???

Just to let you know, when you go and cut down a tree in the wild, there are only certain areas of crown land where you are allowed to harvest.

There is a $5 permit you have to obtain which limits what you can take, how many you can take (3 trees), how tall they are (2.5m max), what conditions (e.g. you cannot cut one down if it's on a steep slope, cannot cut one down if it's in a reforestation patch, etc.). There are very limited areas that you can do this, and they are monitored by conservation officers who manage the tree growth and reforestation. The cost of the permit presumably goes to funding it.

To me, it's a lot like hunting licenses/tags. While I'm not myself a hunter, conservation officials spend an awful lot of time managing various wildlife zones, numbers of permits issued etc. to make sure that the human population is not having an adverse effect on the animal population. Same idea with the xmas tree permits.

I'm not saying you're wrong at all, I just wanted to let you know that the process isn't unmanaged chaos or done without a lot of thought put into it.

[Poe969]

In Ontario, I don't know if you need a permit at all. I just know a lot of people who just go out and get a tree from just about anywhere. I think it's a great idea that you have to get a permit and things are monitored, here people just do whatever.

But what kind of tree stands do you use?