Christmas Trees Must Be Hydrated

12/1/2017 (Permalink)

The holiday season is upon is which also translates to many candles and treasured decorations.

Always always be mindful of open flames and never leave candles unattended.

For those who celebrate Christmas, is it also important to keep your tree hydrated.

According to the US Department of Commerce, the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) works to develop better ways to measure things — like, for example, how likely a tree is to burst into flames. The verdict:much more likely if the tree isn’t well hydrated.

Although Christmas tree fires are still considered rare, they do still account for roughly 200 home fires each year, destroying an annual $14 million in the process,the National Fire Prevention Association (NFPA) says. They’re deadly, too, killing an average of six people yearly.

So how do you prevent your tree from going up in flames? First off, definitely don’t light it up on purpose. Believe it or not, that causes about a quarter of the Christmas tree fires, the NFPA says — usually in January. Since heat plus fuel equals fire, it’s also a good idea keep your tree andnon-tree decorationsaway from hot things like candles and heaters.

Second: water your tree, and get rid of it when the needles start to crunch. Evena flaming book of 20 matches couldn’t spark a blazein a well-hydrated, freshly cut Christmas tree. But just 61 seconds after flames licked the needles of a desiccated conifer, the tree was reduced to smoldering branches.The NIST did the experiment, so you don’t have to.