A YORK tree farmer has found a way to take the needle out of Christmas.
Paul Barnes, whose Boretree Christmas Trees of York has been supplying wholesale and retail market for 20 years, is now harvesting what he describes as "the tree of the future".
After seven years, waiting for the first wave of planting to come to maturity, he has now harvested 600 rare examples of the Fraser Fir, which, he says, will not shed a needle anywhere on your carpet over Yuletide and beyond.
The Fraser Firs, whose natural habitat is the north west coast of the US around Colorado and Washington, will be among up to 10,000 trees that Paul, 37, and his father, Cyril, will harvest for sale this year at their 18 acres of woodland a few hundred yards past B&Q off the A1079.
These include Norway Spruce, Nordman Fir, Blue Spruce, Serbian Spruce and Colorado firs. But of all of these the Fraser Fir is likely always to stay on the tree on not the carpet, however hot the central heating.
Paul pauses on his tractor after digging up yet another Norway Spruce for potting, and says: "That's why the Fraser Fir is slightly more expensive than the others at £25. They just don't lose their needles. If left indefinitely the needles would dry out but stay firm."
Already record sales of the breed are being reported in the south of England. Its dark green foliage with silver underside is now expected to be in huge demand in Boretree's sales area of North and West Yorkshire.
Updated: 09:14 Tuesday, November 04, 2003
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