This is sad. “It's a Charlie Brown Christmas for Rhode Island's official Christmas tree.”

From CNN,com comes a tale of a Christmas Tree’s demise.
“Workers kill statehouse Christmas tree
Mandated fire-retardant application snuffs out blue spruce “

Sprayed with fire retardant the Rhode Island statehouse tree withered and died; melting like the Wicked Witch of the West under Niagara Falls.

The pathetic-looking tree was hustled out of the building Wednesday night….

Rhode Island law designates Christmas trees as "flammable vegetation" and regulates their display in public buildings. Until recently, Christmas trees in public buildings had to be doused with fire retardant, said Tom Coffey, executive director of the Fire Safety Code Board of Appeal and Review.

The state lifted that requirement on December 6, Coffey said, but that was too late for the Statehouse tree, which was put up November 25.

The reprieve from the new fire code came too late for this year’s 18-foot Colorado blue spruce but it was a learning experience for those involved.

Bettencourt and a team of farmers rushed Thursday to get a replacement tree. The task proved complicated because the law also requires a fire marshal to be on hand when a tree destined for public display is cut down, to ensure freshness.

"This one will not be sprayed," promised Steve Kass, a spokesman for the governor.

A fire marshal must be on hand to ensure freshness? I just squeeze the needles and give a little tug. Then I cut off the bottom two inches of the trunk so the tree can suck up water.

And

A properly watered tree is not a fire hazard, said Al Bettencourt, executive director of Rhode Island's Farm Bureau, who once tried proving the point on cable TV.

"First we tried to light it with matches -- couldn't do it," he said. "Then we took out a 50,000-BTU blowtorch and we turned that onto the tree."

The pine crackled, he said, but never caught fire.

So keep those trees watered!