Christmas tree in museum

Do we risk bringing harmful insect pests into our museum if we allow
a real Christmas tree to be placed in a non-collections area for one
week this year?  (Our general policy is to discourage bringing plant
materials into the museum.)  On sites for commercial tree-growers I
have found limited information on the kinds of insects that may be
live in Christmas trees. Since insect infestation can cause trees to
become stunted it is important to growers to ensure that their trees
are healthy.  Will buying a healthy-looking tree from a reputable
source and inspecting it carefully be enough to ensure that we do
not bring in any insects?  Is there any treatment to ensure that
Christmas trees are pest-free?

Karen potje
Head, Conservation/Preservation Department
Canadian Centre for Architecture


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                  Conservation DistList Instance 17:44
                Distributed: Thursday, December 4, 2003
                       Message Id: cdl-17-44-023
                                  ***