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Flammability of Christmas trees not such a combustible topicThey are fixtures on YouTube and newscasts: Clips of Christmas trees bursting into flames and ruining somebody's holiday season. Foresters with Oklahoma State University's Division of Agricultural Sciences and Natural Resources have come together to shed light on the difference between fact and fiction. "Christmas trees are safe," said Craig McKinley, OSU Cooperative Extension forestry expert. "A Christmas tree cannot cause a fire any more than your sofa, couch or waste basket." McKinley said oftentimes in the video clip warnings, a "live" tree is set aside and dried for more than a month before ignited. "The truth of the matter is that if you take a freshly cut Virginia pine and stick it in a stand and in water, you'll have a hell of a time getting that thing to burn," said Chuck Tauer, OSU forest genetics professor and a Christmas tree grower. McKinley recalled a public service announcement on the news in another state in which the news reporter had a Fraser fir and tried to light it with a match. When the tree would not go up in flames, the reporter then switched to using a small torch. "She couldn't get the thing lit, and you could see they cut the film, and then 'wooompf,' they got this flame," he said. The reporter then faced the camera and said, "Remember, a small spark such as this could destroy your Christmas." McKinley could not believe what he was witnessing and wanted to clear Christmas trees of any wrongdoing. McKinley said Christmas fires are caused by trees only an incrementally small percentage of the time. "Christmas is a time of joy, with lots of presents and people in the house; it is a human interest story when a house burns," he said. "TV likes fire." These fire stories have slowed in the United States since the use of lit candles on Christmas trees has stopped. That tradition continues in parts of Europe, which has Christmas trees with much more space between branches to allow for that type of decoration. "We've learned that candles on trees are not a good idea, even if they do it in Europe," McKinley said. "Trees can be a fuel source; so can your sofa, trash can and many other things. Trees don't cause fires and they're not inherently dangerous." Aside from lit candles in Christmas trees, much concern had been raised in the past about the temperature of Christmas tree lights. That is not a significant threat thanks to new manufacturing regulations on lights. "The lights these days are not hot anymore," Tauer said. "That might be why Christmas tree fires are such a concern to people, because they used to be made differently." With that said, McKinley did offer a warning about Christmas trees. "The biggest danger you are going to have with a Christmas tree is getting gouged in the eye with a needle," he said. While Christmas trees are safe if taken care of properly, McKinley advises everyone to be smart and use caution about keeping open flames away from trees, and anything else in the house. 12/1/08 Date: 11/26/08
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