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A symbol of Christmas — the fir tree
With many varieties available, the debate is over which is the best
Friday, Dec. 18, 2009
 Click here to enlarge this photo Staff photos by CAROL HARVAT
Optimist Club of Calvert's Barbara Brown makes wreaths from fresh cut fir tree boughs and Pearl Miller decorates them. The club sells them as a fundraiser next to the Safeway shopping center in Prince Frederick.
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For many families, Christmas is not complete without the scent of a fresh fir tree. Here in Calvert, several varieties of fir trees are sold, with some sales used to raise money for nonprofit organizations.
For 36 years the Optimist Club of Calvert has sold Christmas trees in the same place — next to the Safeway store parking lot in Prince Frederick.
"We have repeat generations coming and getting our trees, said Jack Brown, co-chair of the fundraiser.
The club had 1,050 trees shipped to sell this year and 60 percent of the trees are Fraser firs, the most popular, he said.
When a load of 440 arrived all at once, members of Calvert High School's JROTC program helped unload them all in 45 minutes, Ed Dorsey said.
Along with the Frasers from North Carolina, the club is selling Douglas and Canaan firs and White Pines from Pennsylvania, said co-chair Howard "Bunk" Horsmon, who gave a few tips for keeping trees attractive through the Christmas season.
The main thing to retain the tree's needles is to "never let it dry out. Always keep water in the stand," Horsmon said. He said he's heard that some people add aspirin, sugar or 7-Up to the water to extend the life of the tree, but he believes that cutting off the bottom to open up the pores, getting it in water as soon as possible and keeping it watered is the key.
Ladies in the club make fresh wreaths in a trailer that's filled with essence of pine. Barbara Brown hammers fresh cut boughs in place to create wreaths and Pearl Miller decorates them with bows, bulbs and Christmas-themed ornaments.
"Everything we sell is all for the community and kids," Horsmon said.
In the southern part of the county, the Optimist Club of Solomons sells Fraser, Douglas and Canaan firs up to 10 feet tall, with Fraser also being the most popular there, said Allen Fissel, member of the board of directors.
SYB [Solomons Youth Baseball] Optimist Club of Lusby President Tim Hagan said the club sells Frasers and Douglas firs in the parking lot of Bank of America in Lusby. He said Douglas is the most popular.
"This is our biggest fundraiser," he said.
At the North Beach Volunteer Fire Department, Douglas firs stand on the side of the fire station and are sold as a fundraiser. But this year the Prince Frederick Volunteer Fire Department decided not to sell trees because, "Everybody else is doing it," said volunteer Joey Reamy.
In St. Leonard at Chesapeake Bounty, the most popular tree is the Fraser fir, but the site also sells Douglas fir, Blue Spruce, White Pine, and this year the Noble fir, which is hauled all the way from Oregon, said William Kreamer, manager of the farm stand.
While it costs $10 more due to shipping, he said, "It's the most perfect Christmas tree you've ever seen."
It's fuller and has a perfect cone shape and the colors of the needles are deeper green, he said.
As far as the scents of the trees, Kreamer said the Frasers have a sweeter fragrance, but the Douglas firs are the most powerfully scented trees.
The Fraser fir is the best selling Christmas tree at Wentworth Nursery and Garden Center in Prince Frederick, which also sells Noble and Douglas firs, said salesperson Amanda Cooke.
With the popularity of the Fraser fir in the county, Calvert is right in line with the rest of the country.
In a survey based on the 10 most common trees available for purchase during the holidays, the National Christmas Tree Association reports that the Fraser fir, a native southern fir and very similar to Balsam fir, was voted most popular. Its Web site states that the Fraser fir, which has dark green needles from half to an inch long, was named for Scot botanist John Fraser who explored the southern Appalachians in the late 1700s. The second favorite tree in the poll, the Douglas fir, with its cones hanging downward, is not a true fir, but has a strong pine scent. The tree, which is found in nearly every tree lot in the United States, was named after David Douglas who studied the tree in the 1800s, according to the Web site. Rounding out the top three, the Balsam fir, with its short, flat, long-lasting, aromatic needles, has many characteristics similar to the Fraser fir. The Balsam tree was named for the balsam or resin found in the bark, which was used to treat wounds in Civil War.
Find your own
The Maryland Christmas Tree Association has published a directory of choose-and-cut farms, listing dozens of locations across Maryland where families can harvest their own Christmas trees. View the directory at www.marylandchristmastrees.org, or MDA's Web site at www.mda.state.md.us. Click on Maryland products and scroll down the list to "Christmas trees."
