For those planning to go buy a live Christmas tree this season, it's important to make sure the tree is securely on or inside the vehicle before transporting it home.
Nathan Bottoms with Bottoms Christmas Tree Farm in Cumming said he recommends buyers use pick-up trucks to transport the trees since they can be placed in the truck's bed and often don't have to be tied down.
"The way we wrap (trees), you can tie it to a car with no rack, you can tie it to a minivan with a sliding door or whatever, but the safest way is to have a vehicle large enough to haul the tree inside the truck or inside the utility bed of an SUV," Bottoms said.
For those who tie down the trees themselves, Bottoms said it's important to load the tree trunk first to keep the wind from catching the tree or damaging the limbs. Bottoms Christmas Tree Farm is one of several tree farms that will load the tree for you if needed and Bottoms said they sell both pre-wrapped and unwrapped trees.
He said, however, that he recommends buying the tree pre-wrapped.
"You want to wrap them for protection. It's easier to deal with getting on your car, off your car, in your house. It's a little bit cleaner," Bottoms said. "As far as the safety of it, when it's wrapped up and bundled, you know you're strapping or tying down the actual tree, you're not just catching a loose branch that's not very supported."
If you are securing the tree yourself, Bottoms also said the tools you use are as important as the method.
"Ratchet straps are your best friend. I do not recommend bungee cords because they have a lot of flex to them," Bottoms said. "We provide string and twine here. 90 percent of our customers show up here with nothing. If I was coming to a tree farm myself, I would bring ratchet straps."
Bottoms Christmas Tree Farm is located on John Burruss Road in Cumming and they will open Saturday, November 20.
To hear more from Nathan Bottoms about securing Christmas trees to vehicles, click play on the video above.
