Tree Lot 2025

Did you know when a Christmas tree is cut, well over half of its weight is water? The most important thing that you can do to care for your tree is to simply maintain this water balance.

After we make a fresh cut on the trunk, your tree needs to be placed in water within 2 to 4 hours.

Once you’re home:

1. Place the tree in water as soon as possible.

2. To store your tree, place the tree in a cool, shady location with the freshly cut trunk in a bucket that’s kept full of water.

3. To display your tree, use a tree stand with an adequate water-holding capacity. Check the water level daily. As a general rule, stands should provide about 1 quart of water per inch of stem diameter.

4. Use a stand that fits your tree. Some stands have circular rings at the top, so the ring must be large enough for the trunk to go through the hole. Avoid whittling the sides of the trunk to fit a stand that’s too small, as the outer layers of wood are the most efficient at absorbing water.

ln 1956, the camp fee for the troop operated scout camp was $9. Selling Christmas trees door-to-door and holding troop dances raised funds for the troop. The Christmas trees were cut along railroad rights-of-way and forest lands at a cost of five cents per tree. Late in the 1950s the troop began operating a tree lot at Art’s Food Center (now QFC on Holman Road). In the 1960s, several parents constructed the first tree lot sales shack. Summer camp was routinely held at Camp Omache. ln 1963, the scout camp fee was $18.50. In the 1970s, the Parents Group started making and selling swags at the tree lot. In 1976, a week at Camp Parsons cost $40 per scout. In the 1980s the tree lot was moved twice: first, to the video store across from Great Western Bank; and, then to Great Western Bank where it remained through Christmas 1990. In 1991, the Christmas tree lot was moved to St. Alphonsus’ parking lot. Sales doubled at that location where we are still selling trees annually. In 1998, the Troop had a banner year with 1400 trees sold, a troop record at the time. In 1998, the Troop broke its Christmas tree sales record. The majority of trees sold were Noble Firs. Ten years prior, most of the trees sold were untrimmed Douglas Firs. In the summer of 1999, the troop returned to Camp Parsons for the first time since 1988. The cost had risen from $115 to $150/person. Troop 100 continues to sell Christmas Trees to this day. The Tree Lot has become a local institution at St. Al’s parking lot. Many families and Scouts return year after year.  In 2023, 43 Scouts attended summer camp at Camp Easton at a cost of $475 per Scout which was fully funded by the Tree Lot thanks to the hard-working Scouts and Parents of Troops 100 & 8100 and the kind citizens of Ballard and the surrounding communities.