Subject: CHRISTMAS TREE SAFETY
Many of us have seen approaches for fireproofing Christmas trees. Below is a
method that Matt Drysdale (SHE Excellence Center) used last year on a freshly
cut tree. It worked. He took the test (see bottom #4) and the tree passed.
Fireproofing a Christmas Tree.
The document below is good reading on the way to select and fireproof your
Christmas tree. It sounds helpful and even provides a forest scent in the
bargain. If you haven't picked your tree yet be sure to read this first.
This year, take the oath: there won't be an accidental fire in your house or
apartment. All you need do to reduce this possibility is to FIREPROOF the
live evergreen displayed indoors at Christmas!
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HOW TO FIREPROOF YOUR CHRISTMAS TREE
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First, let us go through the materials you'll need to fireproof your tree.
You'll need the following materials:
Karo syrup from the supermarket, Epsom salt from the drug store, a small can
of "Boraxo" from the supermarket, liquid chlorine bleach from your laundry
closet, and a small packet of chelated iron (it's pronounced KEY-lated) from
the garden shop or plant store. You'll also need a two-gallon bucket or pail.
Secondly, here are some hints for choosing the freshest tree. Keep in mind
that most trees are cut six to ten weeks before you see them in your
neighborhood. That's one problem, but the other is going to hamper your
choosing the right tree. This happens because many Christmas trees today are
"sprayed" with a green dye at the Christmas tree farm a week or two before
they are cut and shipped to market. This dye is sprayed on all trees, the
good and the bad, making it difficult for the consumer to tell precisely
which is a healthy tree and which is not. However, it isn't a hopeless cause.
When you go shopping for your Christmas tree, find one that meets your
standards for height, shape and fullness. When you've narrowed your choice
to a few trees, check to see that each is healthy. Find a bad side of the
tree, then try and snap a very small branch with your fingers. Preferably,
this should be at the bottom of the tree because this is the first place
where water would be in short supply. Try to snap the branch with your
fingers; if it snaps easily, know right away that the tissue is dead, and the
story is the same for the rest of the tree. DON'T BUY THAT TREE!
However, if the branch doesn't snap easily, that's a good indication that the
tissue is very much alive. But don't stop there. Snap the small branch just
the same, then look at the woody tissue under the bark. If the color is white
or a pale green, then the tissue is alive, and the tree is healthy. If the
wood looks to be brown or close to it, that means the tissue is in the
process of dying, in which case you do not buy that tree! No matter what,
ALWAYS BUY A TREE THAT HAS LIVE TISSUE, either white or pale green. This
means that the home-made preservative that you're about to make will make it
fireproof!
Now that you've purchased your tree, let's learn how to fireproof it!
1. Once you get home, get a saw and IMMEDIATELY make a fresh cut at the base
of the tree trunk. This is MANDATORY for any tree you've bought. Go down
about an inch ABOVE the bottom of the trunk and make a fresh cut there with
your saw. Try to make a level cut when you do.
2. Next, let's consider a place for storing your tree because, ideally, YOU
SHOULD BE BUYING YOUR TREE AT LEAST 10 DAYS BEFORE CHRISTMAS.
If it's longer that that, fine; but don't buy it at the last minute and
expect to have it fireproofed before it goes into the house. Storage should
not be a problem as long as the tree is protected from the wind. An ideal
place would be the garage, a carport, possibly a balcony for apartment
dwellers. The last resort would be a basement, hopefully a cool one.
3. Immediately after making your cut at the bottom of the tree trunk, mix
your home-made preservative. Into the two-gallon bucket, add HOT WATER from
the kitchen faucet. Fill the bucket with hot water to within an inch or so of
the top of the bucket. Then, into the hot water, add the following
ingredients:
...two cups of Karo syrup
...two ounces of liquid chlorine bleach
...two pinches of Epsom salt
...one-half teaspoon of Boraxo
...one teaspoon of chelated iron
Stir these ingredients thoroughly in the bucket, then IMMEDIATELY stand the
trunk of the tree in this solution. Leave the tree in the bucket until the
day comes when you want to take the tree indoors for decoration.
4. When the tree goes indoors, stand the trunk in the tree stand and
decorate it as you always do, then move the tree into its final resting place
in the house. THEN, GET THE BUCKET FILLED WITH YOUR INGREDIENTS, HAVE A
PLASTIC CUP HANDY, DRAW OFF THE MIXTURE FROM THE BUCKET AND FILL THE WELL
OF THE TREE STAND RIGHT UP TO THE TOP.
5. Here, assign some responsibility for what happens after that. Someone in
the family must see to it that, EVERY DAY WITHOUT EXCEPTION, THE WELL OF THE
TREE STAND MUST BE KEPT FILLED WITH THE SOLUTION IN YOUR
TWO-GALLON BUCKET.
A hint: in the morning when you get up, FILL THE WELL OF THE TREE STAND WITH
FLUID RIGHT UP TO THE TOP. When you retire for the evening AGAIN FILL THE
WELL OF THE TREE STAND. The well must be kept filled so the solution is
always readily available to your Christmas tree, and then IT IS FIREPROOFED.
How can the tree be fireproofed this way? Actually, it's very easy and let's
explain why... The Karo syrup provides the SUGAR, and it is only in the
presence of sugar that tremendous amounts of water will be taken up by the
exposed tissue at the base of the tree trunk. Without the sugar, only the
smallest bit of water will be absorbed. However, in the presence of the
sugar, you can expect more than one and one-half gallons of the water to be
absorbed by the tree during the 10 to 14-day period that the tree is exposed
to your home-made preservative. But there is more. Thanks to the boron you
have supplied (in the Boraxo), the water and sugar will be moved to every
needle and branch of your tree. Remember that boron is what makes sugar
move, not only in trees, but vegetables, fruits and even house plants. Then,
there's the Epsom salt and the chelated iron. Epsom salt is magnesium
sulfate, and magnesium (together with iron) are the center molecules in the
process we know as chlorophyll production. By making the magnesium and iron
available to the tree, you're assuring yourself of green needles, even if the
tree was not sprayed at the tree farm before it was shipped to market. Oh
yes, why the liquid chlorine bleach? Chlorine stops a mold from forming when
water and sugar stand for any period of time. Here, the chlorine stops the
mold from forming in the bucket and the material added to the well of your
tree stand.
Finally, what are the benefits from preserving your tree this way?
1. Your tree will be SOAKING WET with water, in fact, at least 800 percent
more water than when the tree was growing in the forest.
2. The tree will NOT become a fire hazard in your house because it is
soaking wet, almost like a sponge.
3. No needles will drop, no matter what variety of evergreen you are
displaying in your house. At the same time, the tree will give off a
fragrance like that which you've sensed when walking through a forest of
evergreens.
4. Finally, make the test. When the holidays are over and the tree is taken
down in the house, move the tree outdoors to a safe location and cut one of
the branches. Then, move away from the tree, light a match, and see if the
branch will burn. IT WON'T...!
5. Also, if you have an outdoor garden of any size, be ecology conscious.
Cut the branches from the tree, then scatter the branches over the mulch
previously applied to your roses, tulip and bulb garden, atop the mulch over
your flower bed. A thick layer of these evergreen boughs is added protection
for your plants over the winter.
Then, cut up the tree trunk into small sections and add it to the trash can.
So, fireproof your live evergreen this Christmas and enjoy a Safe and Happy
Holiday!
Adam M. Kickish
Supervisor - Safety Products
Fairmont Supply Company
437 Jefferson Avenue
Washington, PA. 15301
Direct: (724) 223-2208 Fax: (724) 223-2292
email: adamkickish@fairmontsupply.com
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