What's That Green Thing in Your Living Room?

—Taro Ietaka, Director of Land Conservation & Land Stewardship

A white pine looking like a giant Charlie Brown tree. Photo by Leonard214

One thing is certain: if you celebrate Christmas then that thing above the presents in the living room is not a pine tree. If it was, it would look more like Charlie Brown's tree than Ralphie's from A Christmas Story - in other words, more sad than festive. So what kind of tree do you have, if you celebrate Christmas? And why aren't pines a good choice for the holidays?

It is very common for children to learn about pine trees at a young age and for every evergreen they meet afterwards to be called a 'pine'. However in our area there are many other types of evergreen trees including hemlocks, hollies, spruces, cedars, larches, yews, and, a bit to the north, firs. Each has its own defining characteristics, such as the spiky leaves of hollies or the flat needles and red berries on a yew. The true pines we have in our area are Pinus strobus, white pines. These pines are fast-growing, sun-loving, attractive trees. They are good for many things - historical uses are as sailing ship masts in the Colonial period and as food (edible inner bark) for Lenape refugees taking shelter in the Adirondack Mountains. Many white pines were planted in the Dust Bowl era of the 1930s when erosion control was a priority. However, they do not make good Christmas trees. Many evergreens, including pines, drop their lowest limbs as they get shaded out by neighbors or higher branches on the same tree. Pines also have the disadvantage, from a decorator's perspective, of having clustered needles concentrated at the tips of branches, giving an overall spindly appearance.

Norway spruces are often used in landscaping. More than one local tree has been chosen for Rockefeller Center.

Photo by certion

The Christmas trees sold by Boy Scouts, nurseries, and hardware stores are predominantly spruces and firs. These trees have a conical shape and dense needles distributed along branches that are much more attractive in a living room. Balsam and Fraser firs are popular and can be recognized by flat needles with white undersides. Spruces have needles that feel angled in cross-section. One frequently seen tree in our area is the Norway spruce, recognizable by its branches with twigs and needles hanging like pendants; they are not used for family Christmas trees, but they have made it to Rockefeller Center.

Whatever holiday you celebrate, we wish you a merry, tree-filled day of peace and happiness!