A Christmas tree is the focal point of every family’s Christmas, filling the house with scent and providing a place to gather your presents. So how do you ensure that you buy the perfect tree, one that is going to last the whole festive period?

The Forestry Commission sells more than 100,000 Christmas trees nationally every year. Fraser Bradbury, forester with the Forestry Commission in Northamptonshire, has come up with his top tips to make sure your tree not only looks good, but also lasts!

• Stand the tree in a bucket of water and keep in a cool place, such as a garage or shed, until ready to take indoors for decorating.
• Gently shake the tree to remove any loose needles before taking it indoors
• When you are ready to decorate the tree, cut off at least an inch from the bottom of its trunk - this will encourage it to draw up water
• Pot the tree with the trunk immersed in water - many garden centres sell special stands designed to do this
• Don’t use sand or soil in the tree stand as they restrict water from being drawn up into the trunk
• Stand the tree in the coolest part of the room, ideally next to a window and away from radiators and fires
• Remember to top up the tree stand with water every day, an average Christmas tree can 'drink' as much as a pint of water a day
• Each tree has up to around 150,000 needles. You don’t want those on your floor! The Forestry Commission sells Nordman Fir trees which are specially bred to keep their needles longer
• To maintain your green credentials, buy trees that come from a sustainable source: for instance all Forestry Commission Christmas trees are grown specially to be sold during the festive season. When they are cut, they are between six and ten years old - and for every tree cut the Commission plants at least another two

This year you can buy Christmas trees from the Forestry Commission’s visitor centres. Fraser said:

“The Forestry Commission only sell the very best real Christmas trees, competitively priced and specially grown and selected to our high quality standards. Every care is taken to ensure that a tree you buy from the Forestry Commission is as healthy and fresh as possible.”