Where To Buy Live Christmas Trees In Anne Arundel County

ANNAPOLIS, MD — This weekend marks the opening of most Christmas tree lots and farms in Anne Arundel County. Some people prefer artificial Christmas trees, some want the convenience of choosing a freshly cut treefrom the selection in a pop-up lot or home improvement store, and others prefer the old-fashioned manner of cutting down their own.

There are several Christmas tree farms in Anne Arundel County where you can buy your tree in a more organic manner than stopping at Lowe's. Some listings are for tree farms, others are tree lots, and some only offer hay rides, sleigh rides or other winter events. Always call before you go to confirm their supply, their hours and whether they have trees, are allowing choose-and-cut or just precut trees; and which attractions or winter activities are available.

If we missed a favorite site, tell us in comments below.

And read below for how to safely care for your tree to prevent a house fire, from the Anne Arundel County Fire Department.

Area Christmas tree farms:

• Dent Creek Farm - Cut your own Christmas tree 1266 Deep Cove Road, Churchton. Phone: 410-867-2438. Open: noon-5pm Sundays. Bring a saw. Christmas tree varieties: U-Choose and cut your own: firs, pine and spruce.
• Friendship Trees - Cut your own Christmas tree, trees, roping and wreaths. 6950 Old Solomons Island Rd, Friendship. Phone: 301-855-5756. Alternate phone: 301-641-9403. Email: FriendshipTrees1@aol.com. Open: Friday after Thanksgiving until sold out, weekdays 1pm-4:30pm, weekends 9am-4:30pm. Features Douglas, Canaan and Fraser Fir, Pines and Spruce. Also pre-cut Fraser Fir. Visit our Christmas Shop, wreaths, roping, greens, and crafts. Christmas tree varieties: U-Choose & Cut your own: Firs, spruce and pine trees.
• Greenstreet Gardens - Precut Christmas trees, Christmas wreaths, Christmas boughs, garlands, mistletoe, Santa appearances, Christmas decorations, trees tied, free hot chocolate, free hot cider, gift shop, concessions; 391 West Bay Front Road, Lothian. Phone: 410-867-9500. Open: Monday to Thursday from 8:30 am -5 pm; Friday to Sunday from 8:30 am to 6:00 pm. Click here for current open hours, days and dates. Santa arrives on the Saturday after Thanksgiving; take your own pictures with Santa every weekend from 11am-3pm. Christmas tree varieties: PreCut varieties: Fraser Fir, Noble Fir.
• Hill Top Farm - Cut your own Christmas tree Route 4 to Lower Pindell Road to stop sign, Lothian, MD. Phone: 301-855-8431. Open: Saturday from 9 am to 4:30 pm and Sunday from 12 pm to 4:30 pm. You choose and cut your own: Long-needled white pines and Douglas firs.
• Mas-Que Christmas Trees - Cut your own Christmas trees Masque Farm Road, Annapolis. Phone: 410-224-4233. Directions: Forest Drive east, right onto Spa Road, right onto Masque Farm Road. Open: 9am-4pm Saturday and Sunday.
• Modlin's Tree Farm - Christmas trees-you choose and you cut, precut Christmas trees, Christmas wreaths, garlands, Christmas decorations, trees tied, trees baled, free tree trimmings, saws provided, winter hay rides, gift shop, concessions / refreshment stand, porta-potties, 5810 Little Road, Lothian, MD 20711. Phone: 301-643-3147. Open: From the day after Thanksgiving, Monday thru Sunday 8am to 5pm. Click here for our Facebook page. You-Choose and You-Cut varieties: Blue Spruce, Canaan Fir, Douglas Fir, White Pine. PreCut varieties: Fraser Fir.
• Y Worry Pumpkin Patch & Christmas Tree Farm - Precut Christmas trees, Christmas wreaths, garlands, 1501 Rossback Road, Davidsonville, MD 21035. Open: Saturday and Sunday from 10 am to 8:00 pm. Fresh cut Christmas Trees are available every weekend in December.

This list was from PickYourOwnChristmasTree.org.

Tips To Keep Live Trees Safe

Anne Arundel County Fire Department officials shared safety tips to prevent a residential fire involving your Christmas tree, either real or artificial. Christmas trees are not as likely to be the first item ignited in a residential fire as many other common household items including newspapers and magazines, boxes or bags and curtains and drapes.

Thanksgiving weekend is the busiest weekend for live Christmas tree sales according to the National Christmas Tree Association. Between 25 and 30 million live trees will be sold nationwide this year. In 2017, an estimated 24.7 million live trees were sold either on Thanksgiving weekend or the two weekends that followed.

According to the National Fire Protection Association, about 0.12 percent of residential fires involve a Christmas tree, either real and artificial. Between 2012-2016, U.S. fire departments responded to an average 170 home fires that started with Christmas trees per year. These fires caused an average of 4 deaths, 15 injuries, and $12 million in direct property damage annually.

Even though the number of fires involving trees is small, when they occur they are particularly dangerous. According to the NFPA, on average, one of every 45 reported home fires that began with a Christmas tree resulted in a death, compared to an average of one death per 139 total reported home fires.

The National Christmas Tree Association offers these tips for choosing a live tree:

• Measure your space: Be sure you know what size (height and width) you need before heading to the lot. Measure the ceiling height in the room where the tree will be displayed. The trees in the field look small, and it is easy to overbuy.

• Ask questions about the trees: Ask the retailer when he/she gets the trees: are they delivered once at the beginning of the season, or several shipments during the season? Often, a tree obtained soon after its arrival on the retail lot will be very fresh because it was recently cut.

• Do a branch/needle test for freshness: Run a branch through your enclosed hand - the needles should not come off easily. Bend the outer branches - they should be pliable. If they are brittle and snap easily, the tree is too dry.

• Look for other indicators of dryness or deterioration: Indicators might include: excessive needle loss, discolored foliage, musty odor, needle pliability, and wrinkled bark. A good rule-of-thumb is when in doubt about the freshness of a tree, select another one. If none of the trees on the lot look fresh, go to another lot.

When a Christmas tree is cut, more than half its weight is water. With proper care, you can maintain the quality of your tree. Below are some tips on caring for your tree:

• Displaying trees in water in a traditional reservoir type stand is the most efficient way of maintaining freshness and minimizing needle loss problems.

• To display the trees indoors, use a stand with an adequate water holding capacity for the tree. As a general rule, stands should provide 1 quart of water per inch of stem diameter. Devices are available that help maintain a constant water level in the stand.

• Use a stand that fits your tree. Avoid whittling the sides of the trunk down to fit a stand. The outer layers of wood are the most efficient in taking up water and should not be removed.

• Make a fresh cut to remove about a 1/2-inch thick disk of wood from the base of the trunk before putting the tree in the stand. Make the cut perpendicular to the stem axis. Don't cut the trunk at an angle, or into a v-shape, which makes it far more difficult to hold the tree in the stand and also reduces the amount of water available to the tree. Drilling a hole in the base of the trunk does NOT improve water uptake.

• Once home, place the tree in water as soon as possible. Most species can go 6 to 8 hours after cutting the trunk and still take up water. If needed, trees can be temporarily stored for several days in a cool location. Place the freshly cut trunk in a bucket that is kept full of water.

• Check the stand daily to make sure that the level of water does not go below the base of the tree. With many stands, there can still be water in the stand even though the base of the tree is no longer submerged in water. The temperature of the water used to fill the stand is not important and does not affect water uptake.

• Keep trees at least three feet away from major sources of heat (fireplaces, heaters, heat vents, direct sunlight). Lowering the room temperature will slow the drying process, resulting in less water consumption each day.

• Use of lights that produce low heat, such as miniature lights, will reduce drying of the tree.
• Always inspect light sets before placing them on the tree.
• If worn, replace with a new set.Do not overload electrical circuits.
• Always turn off the tree lights when leaving the house or when going to bed.
• Monitor the tree for freshness. After Christmas or if the tree is dry, remove it from the house.

Some fire safety practices are good year round. Install and ensure operation of smoke alarms inside and outside each bedroom and sleeping area. Install alarms on every level of the home, including the basement.

(Photo by Andreas Rentz/Getty Images)