Selecting a Christmas Tree

Types of trees used

Christmas trees are available from a variety of sources – choose-and-cut tree farms and local retail lots and, nurseries or local retail lots.

This factsheet can help you select a fresh tree and explains the characteristics of different types of Christmas trees.

In Canada and United States, several types of tree varieties are used to decorate homes and shopping centers. Many cultivated firs can be found, including the Balsam fir that is most often used along with hybrid or semi cultivated firs. The Balsam fir has many branches and is very dense; the branches of the hybrid fir are more spaced out which allows for more decorations to be hung. Since Quebec is rich with evergreen forests, some people don’t hesitate to get their trees from these forests. Unfortunately, in the long run this will cause degradation in that particular environment.

Commonly used species in North America and Central America are:

Balsam Fir Abies balsamea
Douglas-fir Pseudotsuga menziesii
Fraser Fir Abies fraseri
Grand Fir Abies grandis
Guatemalan Fir Abies guatemalensis
Noble Fir Abies procera
Red Fir Abies magnifica
Scots Pine Pinus sylvestris
Stone Pine Pinus pinea (as small table-top trees)

Europeen Christmas Tree In Western EuropeTwo varieties of Christmas trees are found in the countries of Western Europe: the spruce and the Nordmann fir. The spruce has a pleasant smell but looses its needles within two weeks and the Nordmann fir doesn’t smell at all but has needles that will last for up to two months. The Nordmanns are more expensive because of their slower growth. Nevertheless they are the tree that sell the most in France.