There is something historic about going out in the forest and picking a
tree to bring in the home. As a kid
growing up in Pennsylvania, I remember my grandparents would visit my Uncle’s farm in the
mountains to pick turkey beard for garland and cut an evergreen for the
Christmas tree. My grandfather loved
Charlie Brown shaped Christmas trees, as he thought that having all that space
between the branches let the ornaments hang nicely.
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| Cut Lodgepole Pines |
My family has a lot of German heritage, where the origin of the Christmas
tree came from. You may remember singing
“Oh, Tannenbaum” when you were in Elementary school. The Advent calendar, with four candles, greens,
nuts and berries, also came from Germany.
Traditionally the German people used firs but now they more
commonly use spruce for their Christmas trees.
Upon moving to Colorado in the 90’s, my
husband and I decide to carry on the tradition. Our first few winters in Colorado we lived in Summit
County above 9,000 ft. We went to the US
Forest Service to get our tree cutting permit.
We picked an area to cut our tree that contained all Lodgepole Pine trees growing
very close together. This made me feel
good as we were doing our part to thin the forest.
They grow naturally at elevations of 8,000-10,000
feet. In the winter, Lodgepole pine needles have a little bit of a yellow
cast. The needles are in clusters of two needles (leaves) about 2-3 inches in length,
and the orange-brown to gray bark is somewhat scaly. I used multicolored lights on the tree, though
blue may have been better, to make the tree look a deeper green.
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| Douglas Fir |
The type of species available depends on what National Forest you want to cut your tree from. Typical species include:
So let’s discuss
where and how these trees grow.
Douglas fir grows at elevations of 1800 to 8000 ft,
usually on northern aspects or under other trees. The needles are flat, 1-1.5 inches long, soft
to the touch and radiate around the twigs.
The cones hang down and have bracts that some people say look like a
mouse’s tail. As a cut Christmas tree, Douglas
fir is shorter lasting than other choices.
It’s good choice if you are going to cut closer to Christmas or the day
of use.
Subalpine fir has flat small ¾ inch needles that are
blunt or notched at the tip. The bark is
grayish-white with pitch blisters. This
tree is found at elevations commonly of 9,000-11,000 ft, but can be from 8,300
ft to timberline. Subalpine fir is a
good pick for a Christmas tree as it holds its needles a long time and the
branches are strong.
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| Engelmann Spruce |
Engelmann Spruce grows in the same areas as the
Subalpine fir trees. The needles are 1-inch
long, prickly and pointed, from blue to green in color. The bark is grayish-red
to purplish-brown, thin and scaly. The
tree is widely used as a Christmas tree.
For planting, make sure you are at higher elevations.
Ponderosa Pine trees grow at an elevation range of
6,000-8,500 ft. They have the longest needles
of the Colorado pines, ranging from 5-10 inches in length. The needles grow in bundles of two or three,
and look like tufts on the tips of the branches. The bark is black turning orange-brown and
scaly with age. Ponderosa Pine is not a
popular Christmas tree, but can be used as one.
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| Utah Juniper |
Juniper, typically Utah or single seed, grow at lower
elevations and may have blue berries on them.
They have a distinctive smell, which people seem to love or hate. The needles are scale-like. Some people call these cedar trees even
though we have no true cedars in Colorado.
These junipers grow at 4,000-7,000 ft elevation.
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| Pinyon Pine |
Pinyon Pines have 1.5 inch needles in that curve
towards the stem. Their cones are short
and squat and produce edible pinion nuts. Pinyon pine grows at elevations of
4500 to 7500 ft, and higher with southern exposure. Some people like the way ornaments hang on
their branches. With recent drought in
western Colorado, there are fewer of these available. Many have suffered from ips beetle after being drought stressed. Planting to replace would be a good option.
Permit prices for cutting a tree range from $8-20
dollars across the state depending on which National Forest area you are
cutting from. See the national website
on tips for cutting a tree. https://www.fs.fed.us/visit/know-before-you-go/tree-cutting
The forest service has a program to get kids
outdoors, including Christmas tree cutting.
Fourth graders, with an Inter-agency pass, can cut a Christmas tree as
part of the program. https://www.fs.fed.us/visit/passes-permits/recreation-fees-passes
Contact your local US Forest Service for more
information.
By Susan Carter, Horticulture and Natural
Resource Agent for CSU Extension, Tri River Area (Mesa, Delta, Montrose and
Ouray Counties).
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