Scores of area residents were seen coming out of the forest with their selections for this year’s Christmas trees. However, this region experienced a very dry autumn, and Teton County Fire Marshal Kathy Clay cautions that homeowners will probably find their tree uncommonly thirsty.
“Those trees didn’t get a good watering at the end of fall. So, they are going to be starting out with a pretty low fuel moisture content; in other words, they’re thirsty. When you get your tree, be sure to water it immediately once you get it in the stand and check it often. It might need water as much as twice a day” Clay said.
Considering that those are trees that have been cut fresh, those being shipped in from tree farms in Washington and Oregon are coming from an area that this year experienced severe drought. Clay states the obvious: the drier a tree gets through the season, the more of a hazard it becomes. Clay adds that the new, miniature and LED lights generate far less heat than the old fashioned C7 bulbs, and she urges when decorating their trees, people should graduate to the cooler LED and miniature bulbs.
