5 Incredible Christmas Tree Facts

A magical time of year is upon us again. Santa has visited (I bet you didn’t know how fast he travels) and our homes are covered with tinsel and baubles. But, when the festivities are done, spare a thought for your poor tree before you wish it farewell. Your tree might give off an inimitably Christmassy smell, but they are so much more.

Your Christmas tree is also a fantastic specimen of the plant life on our Earth. In addition to surviving extreme temperatures and supporting whole eco-systems within their branches, these towering behemoths of the natural world harbour even more incredible oddities. So, before you pack up your baubles and discard your tree, take a look at five of the unusual characteristics you probably didn’t know about Christmas trees:  

1. They are among the tallest trees on the planet

One of the more popular choices for a domestic Christmas tree is the Douglas Fir, the tallest known example of which stands at a whopping 99.7m  (327ft) in Coos County, Oregon, USA. Indeed, it’s the tallest non-redwood conifer on the planet, only being surpassed by those gargantuans of the tree world, Ents giant redwoods. A specimen named “Hyperion” is the tallest in the world, at 115.55m (379ft), found in California. And thanks to the wonders of science, we also know that this is pretty much the tallest a tree can grow; any higher, and gravity stops water from reaching the topmost branches.

1. They are safer than home lighting systems

People often fret about the dangers of decorating a flammable shrub with electrical lights indoors, especially with the proliferation of horror stories of houses burning down due to ill-tended trees. However, figures from the National Fire Protection Association in the USA suggest that they are really not all that dangerous. Between 2007 and 2011, a mere 230 incidences of fires caused by trees were reported. However, in the same period, 53,000 blazes were instigated by home lighting issues. Of course, Christmas trees are present in our homes for a far briefer period, but even factoring that in, they still pale in comparison. Furthermore, the species mentioned above, the Douglas Fir, can actually develop hardened bark which can survive forest fires! (Though admittedly, not on the sapling specimens introduced into our homes.)

1. They are good for the environment

Of course, we all know that trees help to produce the oxygen that we breathe, and just one acre of Christmas trees can sustain 18 people’s oxygen supply on a daily basis. However, did you know that trees can also help to remove pollutants from the air? A 2011 study by the University of Southampton found that trees can actually help to improve air quality, by filtering out harmful elements. Christmas trees themselves can also effectively reduce dust and pollen molecules, making the air in our homes safer and cleaner.

1. They are home to tiny tarantulas

The endangered species of the spruce-fir moss spider, as the name suggests, hang their hats in Christmas trees growing in Tennessee and North Carolina in the USA. At only a quarter of a centimetre in length, these diminutive beasts are among the tiniest tarantulas known to man and can only exist in the delicate eco-system provided by the spruce-fir. Any more sunshine and they’d dry out; any more water and their webs would be destroyed.

1. The can turn to glass

This one sounds made up, right? Well, in the forests of Siberia, winter temperatures can be no laughing matter, often dropping below -60°C. The only way for the trees to survive is to morph into a glass-like material, with their protein, sugars and water forming a crystalline structure reminiscent of a window pane. This hardening of the trees inner tissue allows it to remain unaffected and undamaged by the extreme temperatures outside. Amazing!