BRANCHING OUT EARLY SALES OF YULE TREES BRISK.

Byline: Brent Hopkins Staff Writer

Spurred by an early Thanksgiving and nostalgia for tradition in the wake of the terrorist strikes, San Fernando Valley residents have started snapping up Christmas trees early despite high prices.

A seed shortage and a dry summer have driven the price of the popular noble firs to an eye-popping $600 for larger trees at some lots but customers still appear eager to dress up their homes for the holidays with the strong emphasis on family life these days.

``Our phone's been ringing off the hook,'' said Valerie Price, owner of Oregon Family Christmas Trees in Woodland Hills. ``People are looking forward to something positive for a change, and Christmas is definitely a positive, family thing.''

Before Price and her three children could finish displaying their fresh- cut firs, Lily Hout already had her eye on a handsome 7-foot noble for $63. The West Hills resident, who throws an annual holiday bash, needed the perfect tree to complement her decor.

``You put these in the front room and suddenly you're in the High Sierras,'' she exclaimed, inhaling the woodsy scent. ``Getting a tree like this brings more happiness to the holidays.''

The tree-buying season usually begins Dec. 1, but vendors said the early Thanksgiving created an early rush at lots.

``Because of 9-11, there seems to be less traveling and more going back to the traditional Christmas,'' said Sam Minturn, executive director of the California Christmas Tree Association. ``This weekend's really going to tell the tale with sales.''

Early birds like Valerie Chahinian, a Woodland Hills homemaker, are keeping the cash registers ringing. Though she usually likes to start Christmas tree shopping quickly, the holiday season now has added meaning, she said.

``You appreciate the things you'd normally overlook, like spending more time with your friends and family,'' she said, picking out a 9-foot fir for $76. ``Everything seems more important this year.''

For retail lots that opened last weekend, sales have looked very promising, despite recent inclement weather.

``Traditionally this is a slow week, but we've sold a good number of trees so far, both to corporate clients and individuals,'' said Barbara Schuurs of the family-owned Frosty's Forest in Valencia. ``We expect we're just going to go like gangbusters for the next few weeks.''

For top freshness in a cut tree, the California Christmas Tree Association recommends choose-and-cut farms like Schuurs', where customers can select their own live pine and chop it down themselves.

Though it's not the same as trudging through the snow with a thermos of coffee and an ax, visitors at the Christmas Ranch Tree Farms in Thousand Oaks can relive a Currier and Ives scene.

``There's an allure to cutting your own tree,'' operator Marilyn Cameron said. ``We even had someone come from Arizona just to get their own. We wrapped it in a whole lot of wet towels and sent them off.''

And though live trees have their disadvantages - pesky falling needles, an intensive watering schedule and greater flammability - artificial trees don't offer the same complete experience.

``It's like the difference between putting up a bouquet of plastic flowers or buying a dozen roses,'' Price said proudly. ``These real trees are beautiful.''

Since standards differ wildly on what makes the perfect tree, a decidedly subjective approach seems to work best.

``Bring your kids, let them run around, and then let them choose what they want,'' Schuurs said. ``That's what most people end up doing and it works out for the best.''

CAPTION(S):

2 photos, box

Photo:

(1 -- color) Lily Hout, left, shops for a Christmas tree at the Oregon Family tree lot in Woodland Hills with friends Mike and Irene Zumerling, who are visiting from Pennsylvania. Tree buyers are out in force early this holiday season.

(2) Ricardo Herrera and Stephanie Mason move a Christmas tree at the Oregon Family lot.

Tom Mendoza/Staff Photographer

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TRIMMING THE TREE