Cozying up to a warm fireplace under a beautiful mantel
decorated with greenery and candles
can be a holiday nightmare if it all goes up in smoke.
“Dry, brittle greenery only needs one spark to go up in flames,”
said Kim Coder, a University of
Georgia Extension Service forestry specialist. “Greenery,
especially pine, dries extremely fast
and becomes extremely flammable.”
To make sure your holiday greenery is safe, Coder offers these
simple tips:
* The key to keeping greenery safe is to replace it every
week.
“Test the freshness by grabbing the needles,” Coder said. “If
the needles bend, they are still fresh.
If they break or come off in your hand, they’re too dry and
should be exchanged for fresh
greenery.”
Make sure to discard dry greenery away from the house or garage
to prevent a further fire hazard.
* Look for wreaths with fire-retardant coatings.
“You can buy a number of wreaths during the season made from
natural products that are coated
or treated, with silk flowers and decorations added,” Coder
said. “Remember that they, too, can
be flammable. The plastic can melt and the core can catch fire –
not nearly as easily as pine
needles, but it can happen.”
* When cutting greenery from a live source, immediately dip the
cut ends in wax or put them in a
vase of water until ready to use.
“Treat it like fresh flowers,” Coder advised. “Commercial sprays
are available that won’t make it
fireproof but will make it much more fire-resistant.”
Fire isn’t the only hazard of bringing fresh greenery into the
house.
“Mistletoe and holly with berries can be dangerous to children
if they eat them,” Coder warned.
“Then there are vermin hiding in the foliage.”
To rid greenery of unwanted pests, shake it vigorously, then
look through the leaves or needles
and remove any bugs or spiders you spot.
Mistletoe and holly can lose berries if you shake too hard, so
look through it carefully for bugs
before you bring it in.
“Once they get warm, the critters become very active,” Coder
said.
As the temperature dips at this time of year, remember that
space heaters and dry greenery are a
lethal mix.
“Always keep space heaters or any heat source pointed toward the
center of the room and away
from any greenery or a Christmas tree,” Coder said.
The lure of the smell of fresh pine inside during the holidays
sometimes can’t be deterred. But on
this holiday, take care to be safe.
“Be very fire-conscious when you bring the forest inside,” Coder
said. “Forests do burn from
time to time, and you don’t want that to happen inside your
house.”
