Up and Coming Weekly is a weekly publication in Fayetteville, NC and Fort Bragg, NC area offering local news, views, arts, entertainment and community event and business information.
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10 UCW DECEMBER 18-24, 2019 WWW.UPANDCOMINGWEEKLY.COM Certain Christmas tree species last longer and remain fresh much longer than others. Among the best is the North Carolina Fraser fir. North Carolina has an estimated 50 million Fraser fir Christmas trees growing on more than 25,000 acres. e Fraser fir is grown by 1,600 growers in the higher elevations of the Western North Carolina counties of Alleghany, Ashe, Avery, Buncombe, Haywood, Henderson, Jackson, Macon, Madi- son, Mitchell, Swain, Transylvania, Watauga and Yancey. North Caro- lina produces nearly 20% of the real Christmas trees in the U.S., ranking second in the nation in the number of trees harvested. e North Carolina Fraser fir has been judged the nation's best through a contest sponsored by the National Christmas Tree Association and chosen for the official White House Christmas tree many times. e Fraser fir is the most popular Christmas tree in North America and is shipped to every state in the U.S. and all over the world. Fraser firs have soft needles, incomparable needle retention, long- lasting aroma and more pliable yet stronger branches for even the heavi- est ornaments. Festive celebrations, flickering lights and winter greens are hallmarks of the holiday season. ey also present fire risks that can quickly turn this festive time of year into a devastating one. e National Fire Protection Associa- tion works to educate the public about potential fire risks during the holi- days. Most Christmas tree fires can be prevented. Fresh trees need water. A six-foot tree needs about 1 gallon of water every other day. Between 2013-2017, U.S. fire depart- ments responded to an average of 160 house fires that started with Christ- mas trees per year. On average, one of every 52 reported home fires that began with a Christmas tree resulted in a death, compared to an average of one death per 135 total reported home fires, according to the NFPA. Electri- cal distribution or lighting equipment was involved in 44% of home Christ- mas tree fires. A new Christmas tree safety system by LifeKeeper can detect low water in the tree stand and send a warning if a fire starts. e system's low water detector is placed in the tree stand. It'll send an audio alert and trigger flashing lights on the attached heat sensor angel if the water level gets too low. Fire officials caution homeown- ers to unplug tree lights before leaving the house or going to bed. Fayetteville's 25th Annual Grinding of the Greens Christmas tree recycling program is designed to enhance the environment. Residents are encour- aged to recycle their live trees. Since 1994, the program has kept thousands of pounds of recyclable material out of landfills. is year, employees of the Fayetteville Public Works Com- mission, City of Fayetteville and Duke Energy Progress are partnering to turn the trees into mulch for local parks. e City of Fayetteville will collect live trees in a special tree collection in early January. Pickups are separate from yard waste, trash or recycling collections. City residents should put their trees out for curbside collection the first of the new year. Lights, stands and trimmings should be removed from the tree. PWC and DEP volun- teers will grind them into mulch at the Grinding of the Greens. Your Christmas tree was probably grown in North Carolina by JEFF THOMPSON NEWS The North Carolina Fraser fir has been judged the nation's best through a contest sponsored by the National Christmas Tree Association and chosen for the official White House Christmas tree many times. Personal Injury Wrongful Death Rebecca Britton Business* Civil Litigation Foreclosures John Britton *MBA We go the distance with you. BrittonLawFirm.com 910-401-3356