WEBVTT - Why Are Christmas Trees That Shape?

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<v Speaker 1>Welcome to brain stuff from how stuff works a brain stuff,

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<v Speaker 1>I'm Lauren Vogelbaum. And during the final month of the year,

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<v Speaker 1>or sometimes much sooner, vast numbers of harvested trees begin

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<v Speaker 1>their migration indoors, where they are festooned with ribbons, garlands, ornaments,

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<v Speaker 1>and lights. Although these trees are grown in the spirit

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<v Speaker 1>of Christmas, they don't magically or genetically aspire to a

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<v Speaker 1>perfectly peaked shape. After Christmas trees reach a height of

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<v Speaker 1>about three to four feet that's around one meter, orchard

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<v Speaker 1>workers start helping the shape along with a process called shearing.

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<v Speaker 1>The trees do most of their new growth in the spring,

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<v Speaker 1>after that starts hardening up. In the summer, workers shear

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<v Speaker 1>each tree individually with long, sharp knives. The most common

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<v Speaker 1>types of Christmas tree are douglas for cannon for frasier fur,

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<v Speaker 1>and several species of spruce or pine. However, out of

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<v Speaker 1>these six hundred and thirty species of conifers in the world,

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<v Speaker 1>the majority don't actually grow in a strictly conical shape,

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<v Speaker 1>so trimming is a crucial task when growing these specimens

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<v Speaker 1>meant to become Christmas trees. This pruning process must continue

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<v Speaker 1>every summer until the trees reach a marketable age, which

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<v Speaker 1>usually takes six to eight years. So why do Christmas

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<v Speaker 1>celebrants demand pyramiddle trees during the holidays. The notions behind

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<v Speaker 1>much of the world's traditional Christmas decor originated in Northern

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<v Speaker 1>Europe and particularly Germany, where enduring images and tails from

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<v Speaker 1>the mid nineteenth century still ensure that sugar plums are

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<v Speaker 1>dancing for our heads and that our Christmas trees are

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<v Speaker 1>conical in that part of the world. Evergreen trees are

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<v Speaker 1>pyramid shaped for good reason. Each needle leaf layer has

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<v Speaker 1>a better opportunity to gather sunlight for photosynthesis if the

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<v Speaker 1>sun isn't blocked by wide top layers. This tiered arrangement

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<v Speaker 1>allows the trees to shake off heavy snowfall and the

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<v Speaker 1>wide spaces between branches that the winds whip through without

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<v Speaker 1>causing too much damage. Although synthetic Christmas trees don't generally

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<v Speaker 1>drop needles on the floor or pose a fire damage

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<v Speaker 1>by drying out, they can't replicate the experience of selecting

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<v Speaker 1>a Christmas tree, and for a lot of people, it

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<v Speaker 1>just isn't Christmas without the piney smell of a freshly

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<v Speaker 1>cut tree. Millions of consumers agree. According to the National

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<v Speaker 1>Christmas Tree Association, in a consumer survey revealed that the

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<v Speaker 1>sales of real Christmas trees outpaced to those of fake

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<v Speaker 1>trees twenty seven point four million to eighteen point six million.

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<v Speaker 1>And as they grow and await their moment in the spotlight,

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<v Speaker 1>these real Christmas trees provide homes for wild birds and

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<v Speaker 1>animals while storing carbon and generating oxygen. And best of all,

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<v Speaker 1>the trees are renewable resource. When one is cut, a

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<v Speaker 1>new one is planted in its place. Most people who

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<v Speaker 1>buy real Christmas trees select pre cut versions sold at

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<v Speaker 1>retail lots, garden centers, and chain stores. Only of those

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<v Speaker 1>who opt for the real thing go out and cut

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<v Speaker 1>their own. Today's episode was written by Laurie L. Dove

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<v Speaker 1>and produced by Tyler Clang. For more on this and

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<v Speaker 1>lots of other carefully shaped topics, visit our home planet,

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<v Speaker 1>How Stuff Works dot hum