WHICH CHRISTMAS TREE TO PICK

This is a comparison guide for sixteen of the most popular natural Christmas tree varieties grown and sold in North America. Pros and cons for each tree variety are discussed, such as scent, durability, and branch strength.

ARIZONA CYPRESS

• Pros: soft needles, minty scent
• Cons: poor durability, requires proper watering, moderate branch strength, growth limited to the Southwestern United States

BALSAM FIR

• Pros: pleasant scent, soft needles, good durability
• Cons: moderate branch strength, growth limited to Northeastern United States and Canada

BLUE SPRUCE

• Pros: good durability, strong branches
• Cons: moderate branch strength, growth limited to Rocky Mountains and Northeastern North America

CANAAN FIR

• Pros: soft needles, long lasting scent, good/excellent durability
• Cons: medium branch strength, growth limited to Eastern areas of North America

DOUGLAS FIR

• Pros: soft needles, sweet scent, good durability
• Cons: weak branches, growth limited to Eastern parts of North America

EASTERN RED CEDAR

• Pros: pleasant scent, grown throughout Central and Eastern North America
• Cons: sharp needles, poor durability, weak branches

FRASER FIR

• Pros: soft needles, popular scent, good/excellent durability, strong branches
• Cons: growth limited to a few states in the Southeastern United States

GRAND FIR

• Pros: soft needles, strong citrus scent, good/excellent durability
• Cons: weak branches, growth limited to the Western United States and Canada

LEYLAND CYPRESS

• Pros: soft needles, light scent, excellent durability
• Cons: moderate branch strength, growth limited to Midlatitude region of the United States

NOBLE FIR

• Pros: soft needles, distinctive scent, good/excellent durability, moderate/strong branch strength
• Cons: growth limited to Washington and Oregon

NORWAY SPRUCE

• Pros: long-lasting scent, strong branches
• Cons: sharp needles, requires proper watering, growth limited to the Northeastern United States

SCOTS PINE

• Pros: soft needles, earthy scent, excellent durability, moderate/strong branch strength
• Cons: growth limited to the Northeastern United States and Canada

VIRGINIA PINE

• Pros: pleasant scent, good durability, moderate/strong branch strength
• Cons: sharp needles, growth limited to areas of the Eastern United States and Western Canada

WHITE FIR

• Pros: citrus scent, good/ excellent durability, strong branches
• Cons: pointed needles, growth limited to the Western United States and a few New England states

WHITE PINE

• Pros: soft needles, pine scent, good/excellent durability, grown throughout North America
• Cons: weak branches

WHITE SPRUCE

• Pros: good/excellent durability, strong branches
• Cons: stiff needles, unpleasant scent, growth limited to Canada and The Northern United States

FUN FACTS

• There are approximately 25-30 million Real Christmas trees sold in the U.S. every year.
• For every Real Christmas Tree harvested, 1 to 3 seedlings are planted the following spring.
• It can take as many as 15 years to grow a tree of typical height (6 - 7 feet) or as little as 4 years, but the average growing time is 7 years.
• The top Christmas Tree producing states are Oregon, North Carolina, Michigan, Pennsylvania, Wisconsin and Washington.

BEST PICKS

• Fraser Fir
• Noble Fir
• Scots Pine
• White Pine