Florida Sand Pine Christmas Tree
A lightly decorated sand pine tree.
Florida sand pine christmas tree. State road 40 silver springs fl 34488 or the seminole ranger district office 40929 state road 19 umatilla fl 32784. The 2 to 3 5 inch long spiny cones persist for quite a while on the tree often becoming embedded in the wood of the twigs. The supple evergreen leaves and the plant s ability to thrive in almost any soil make sand pine a good choice for use as a christmas tree with proper shearing. The star tree featured this year is the florida sand pine.
In florida red cedar virginia pine sand pine spruce pine arizona cypress and leyland cypress are grown specifically for use as christmas trees. In the same park as this tree at least 10 other trees had fallen most of which were mature sand pine destroying a gazebo and an elevated boardwalk in the process. Usda photo permits must be purchased before dec. You can find arizona cypress balsam fir blue ice blue spruce burkii cedar carolina sapphire cedar colorado blue spruce concolor fir douglas fir fraser fir leyland cypress noble fir red cedar sand pine scotch pine spruce virginia pine white pine christmas tree types in florida fl.
Our fresh from florida member gibbs christmas tree farm is one of your best options. Filter by sub region or select one of the tree types. Are you wondering where to find sand pines. There are two types of sand pine in florida the ocala sand pine and the choctawatchee strain which is a good choice for a christmas tree.
The trunk and branches of the sand pine are often twisted. In florida red cedar virginia pine sand pine spruce pine and leyland cypress are grown specifically for use as christmas trees. 23 and tree harvesting ends dec 24. The sand pine pinus clausa is a native pine tree and a relative of the common florida slash pine the sand pine has shorter needles is shorter in height than its cousin and does not live as long as the slash pine.
Request a permit by mail or obtain one in person at the lake george ranger district office 17147 e. The choctawhatchee sand pine is grown for christmas trees because of its short heavily foliated branches and dark green needles. Bark beetle attacks are associated with stresses such as drought. The sand pine closely resembles the spruce pine as they both have the smooth gray bark.
What i like about these trees is the unconventional shapes of its branches and thin needles. Christmas tree farms near you in florida fl. Because it does not produce tall trunks it is of little importance to the lumber industry except for occasional usage for pulp. Each year the young trees must be shaped or pruned to encourage the tree to branch more quickly and gradually achieve the full bushy appearance people prefer in their christmas trees.
The preferred species of tree is often passed down from generation to generation.