PROVIDENCE - 'Tis the season to begin the search for the perfect Christmas tree, and the Department of Environmental Management's annual Rhode Island Grown guide to Christmas Tree Farms will start you on your way.

Produced by DEM's Division of Agriculture, the guide lists 51 tree farms in Rhode Island where living Christmas trees can be chosen, tagged and cut. The guide is also a source of information on native grown tree species, buying and preserving a tree, and fire safety tips on how to treat your cut tree once you've brought it home.

Generally, species of trees grown in Rhode Island are fir, spruce and pine. Native-grown Christmas trees are plantation planted, fertilized and sheared. It may take eight to 12 years to raise a tree of six to eight feet.

Stephen Volpe, Deputy Chief of DEM's Division of Agriculture, says that once you bring your tree home, keep it outdoors until you are ready to decorate. "Cut an additional inch off the trunk, place it in water immediately, and leave it overnight in a partially heated area to acclimate it to the warmth of your home before bringing the tree inside to decorate it," he said.

Volpe offered some safety tips from the brochure:

• Avoid the use of combustible decorations.
• Check all electric lights and connections prior to decorating. Never use worn, frayed cords.
• Never use lighted candles.
• Place the tree away from fireplaces, radiators, television sets and other heat sources.
• Be sure to unplug lights before retiring at night and any time you leave home.
• Be sure to check the water level daily. Trees absorb between two pints and a gallon of water every day.
• A tree stand should be large enough to hold at least one gallon of water, and should be large enough to adequately secure the tree.
• Brace the tree.

To obtain a free brochure, write to the Division of Agriculture, 235 Promenade Street, Providence, RI 02908, or call the Division at 222-2781 ext. 1-4754. The brochure is also available on DEM's web site at www.dem.state.ri.us/org/agric/xtrelst.htm.

**Local Interest: Rhode Island Grown Christmas tree farms are located in Charlestown, Chepachet, Coventry, Cranston, Cumberland, Exeter, Foster, Glocester, Greene, Harrisville, Hope, Hope Valley, Johnston, Lincoln, Little Compton, Middletown, Portsmouth, Scituate, Shannock, Smithfield, Tiverton, Warren, West Greenwich, Westerly, and West Kingston.