Monterey Pine Christmas Trees

The choose-and-cut tree of Southern California, grown where firs will not.

Monterey pine is native to a handful of spots on the central California coast but grows fast and tolerates heat, which makes it the backbone of choose-and-cut farms from Ventura down to San Diego. Needles run three to six inches and grow in bundles, giving a shaggier look than any fir.

Because the natural shape is loose, farms shear these trees hard to build density. That means a solid wall of green on the outside and relatively little interior structure, so plan to decorate the surface rather than the depths.