Why You Shouldn’t Burn Your Christmas Tree in Your Fireplace

After the holidays, it’s time to take down the Christmas tree, pack up the lights and decorations, and return your home’s décor back to the way it was. While you likely have a location to store all of your decorations, what do you do with a REAL Christmas tree after the holidays?

Unless you bought a potted live tree that you can plant in your yard later, a cut, dried-out Christmas tree can be a dilemma. If you have a wood-burning fireplace or stove, you may think, “I’ll just burn it.” But don’t!

Here are some reasons that burning your Christmas tree in your fireplace or stove is a bad idea:

• The dried needles can burn in a flash, causing a fierce fire. The needles can produce sparks that can fly into your room setting your rugs, furniture and other décor on fire. Sparks can also go up the chimney, setting your roof or landscaping on fire.
• Firs, pines and spruces, which are some of the more popular Christmas tree varieties, all have a high sap content that can burn very quickly and explosively. These small explosions can cause items inside and outside your home to catch fire – including your chimney flue.
• Since a dry Christmas tree can burn faster than expected, the fire can be difficult to control. To see how flammable a dry Christmas tree can be, watch this video produced by the National Fire Protection Association.
• The wood from firs, pines and spruces can produce a lot of creosote, causing a buildup on chimney walls.
• Burning a Christmas tree in a fireplace or stove with a dirty flue can cause any creosote deposits to ignite, resulting in a flue fire.
• Because of the rapid nature of a Christmas tree fire, smoke can pour out of your fireplace with no warning, filling your home and damaging your belongings.
• The fire from a burning Christmas tree can burn so hot that it can damage your firebox, chimney and/or flue, resulting in expensive repairs.

Therefore, the best advice the experts at T.J.’s Chimney Service can give you, is to never burn any part of your Christmas tree in your fireplace or stove for your safety. Also, make sure you have your fireplace and stove professionally cleaned and inspected by our chimney sweeps, too, to prevent flue-related fires. The Chimney Safety Institute of America recommends that you have your flues cleaned at least once a year to remove soot, creosote buildup and debris. Contact T.J.’s Chimney Service to schedule your appointment today.