BURNING ISSUE IN DRY WEATHER, CHOOSE HOLIDAY TREES CAREFULLY.

Byline: Dana Bartholomew Staff Writer

That snap, crackle and pop might not be coming from your breakfast cereal, but from the sound of hundreds of Christmas trees drying on the winter wind - a problem that raised the concerns of fire officials Monday.

Some Christmas tree sellers said last week's blustery Santa Ana winds caused Christmas trees to whither at some San Fernando Valley area lots. Some lots with properly watered trees, however, weathered the week's strong, dry winds without damage.

Fire officials warned holiday shoppers to steer clear of wind-damaged trees, hazards that can easily spark a holiday blaze.

``The weather is a critical factor for trees on a lot, and most sellers go to great lengths to keep them healthy. But sometimes they get weathered early and become dangerous,'' said Brian Humphrey, spokesman for the Los Angeles Fire Department.

``Buyers must examine trees extremely carefully before taking home what is potentially a highly combustible object.''

A visit to several Valley lots Monday found a wide range of tree health, with some as moist as towelettes and others as dry as summer scrub.

Longtime nurseries and mom-and-pop tree lots had the best-looking firs, fed by water stands or shaded by large canopies. Trees at large home- improvement centers tended to suffer from no water and hot sun.

Dozens of trees are turning brown at Lowe's Home Improvement Warehouse, where their trunks stand on concrete carpeted by dead needles.

``The wind, all of the time, makes them more dry,'' said Enrique Sandoval, a Lowe's clerk in charge of the tree pen out front. ``Sometimes we put them in the trash. Nobody wants them because everybody likes them fresh.''

At a Home Depot in Panorama City, the trees fared somewhat better, although it wasn't clear whether the several hundred specimens corralled by a chain-link fence out in the parking lot would survive hot asphalt and lack of water.

``They're not doing so good,'' admitted one clerk who said he didn't know much about trees.

Holiday fires kill or injure 2,000 residents each year and inflict $500 million in damage to homes and property, according to the U.S. Fire Administration.

In January, a Christmas tree burst into flames inside a Calabasas condominium, causing $35,000 in damage and sending two residents suffering from smoke inhalation to the hospital. The fire was caused by faulty Christmas lights on a dry tree.

And in December 1999, just days before Christmas, two boys, ages 11 and 4, were critically injured when faulty lights caused their tree to go up in flames. The North Hills boys suffered second- and third-degree burns, but both eventually recovered.

Often people rush out to buy a tree and fail to check it before they get it home, Humphrey said. And a tree could dry out even faster if it is placed near a fireplace, heating vent or any other heat source.

``Many people have made the move to artificial trees because of the dangers,'' Humphrey said. ``Some families believe they are just safer for them.''

Al and Mary Ann Dib, of Christmas Trees by Mary Ann of Arleta, have been selling noble, grand and Douglas firs since 1958. Each summer, they go to Oregon and select the best specimens.

On their corner lot, trees are either planted in water pots and fixed to 2-by-4 rails, or covered beneath damp burlap under a protective tent.

Al Dib carefully groomed the fronds of a 6-foot fir as he talked of last week's winds, which blew as strong as 77 mph through the Northeast Valley.

``It was bad,'' he said. ``A lot of the lots, their trees were lying down, but mine weren't. It could be 100 degrees, it could be Santa Ana winds all day long, and my trees'll still be damp.

``Can you find a better tree than this? There is no better.''

To buy fresh trees and keep them that way, experts recommend testing each tree by shaking it or twisting its branches for falling needles, storing it away from a heater vent or fireplace, watering it daily and feeding it with a preservative.

Firs at Mr. Christmas Trees in Woodland Hills were as lush as a Cascade forest.

Fortunately, each of the trees - which run between $20 and $5,000 - were delivered the day after Thanksgiving, each shaded by a large protective canopy.

``Our trees are fresh,'' said Andy Santiago, the lot's manager, gently twisting a branch around his finger to show that no dry needles would pop off. ``We keep 'em displayed in water and water 'em three times a day, morning noon and night.

``You get what you pay for.''

Staff Writer Phillip W. Browne contributed to this report.

CAPTION(S):

photo, box

Photo:

(color) Lot owner Al Dib, behind tree, helps Jose Amaya, Jesus Acebedo, 5, and Blanca Flores of North Hills select a Christmas tree Monday in Panorama City.

David Sprague/Staff Photographer

Box:

TREE SAFETY

SOURCE: U.S. Fire Administration