How to find the perfect Christmas tree

Still need to pick up a Christmas tree?

We've got some tips about what to look for and how to make it last.

Hallie Cotnam of CBC Radio's Ottawa Morning recently headed into the bush just outside Pembroke, Ont., with some experts from Algonquin College, who shared advice on how to find the perfect tree for the holidays.

These are a few of their favourite trees

Victoria Gray, forestry student: "I'm gonna go with a spruce. I know Davis is going to tell you that they stink, but I think they smell great. They're really full, conical shape, nice and green — that's the perfect Christmas tree."

David Fletcher, forestry student: "For me, I would go with a fir. They have a sweet smell so it doesn't stink up the house, and they last pretty long. They're not a big mess, too. I don't like cleaning up the messes."

Chris Ryan, forestry department technician: "It used to be white spruce every year, now it's artificial. I was sick of the mess, too. [I'm] getting older."

Follow these tips

• Gray: "Make sure the trunk of the tree is a little bit sticky. That just shows that it's a little more fresh."
• Fletcher: "If you run your hands down the branch, if it's dried out at all you'll get needles in your hand."
• Ryan: "Always cut it flush, never cut it on an angle, because it's harder for the water to absorb into the tree when it's in the house."
• Gray: "If you're cutting one yourself, you might want to have a saw at home because you should be cutting about half an inch off the bottom of the tree before you put it into the tree stand. It'll help it to absorb the water."
• Fletcher: "Make sure there's no nests in the tree, because sometimes wild animals do like to get in there, and you don't want to be labelled as the person who took down three bird nests."
• Ryan: "The exotic ones, you've got to pay more.... You've got to ask how long has this tree been cut. Is it properly wrapped, properly shaken? You don't want to buy something that was cut two weeks ago."