UMD's Annual Christmas Tree Fire Safety Demonstration consists of a series of live fire experiments on both natural and artificial Christmas trees to show their burning behavior. The experiments are meant to demonstrate to the public the impact of moisture content on ignition, fire growth rate and peak burning behavior.
2025 press releaseChristmas Tree Fire Safety Demos will take place on Wednesday, December 17, 2025.
Koffel Associates Fire Standards Laboratory
Room 3229 J.M. Patterson Building
4356 Stadium Dr, College Park, MD 20742
9 a.m: Media Arrival
9:30 a.m: Small scale experiments on branches of artificial trees, well-watered natural trees, and dry/un-watered natural trees
9:50 a.m: Full-scale test on a well-watered (natural) tree
10:15 a.m: Full-scale test on a dry/un-watered (natural) tree
10:30-11:00 a.m: Media Departure
In addition to these fire safety demonstrations, the Department of Fire Protection Engineering at UMD also hosts an annual competition to predict the burning behavior (HRR) of Christmas tree fires, from ignition to final burnout. Students, faculty, researchers, and engineers from fire safety programs across the globe are encouraged to participate. To get started, visit the HRR Competition website and follow the instructions on how to register.