Are Christmas trees "painted"?

Hi... I read this article about christmas tree tinting and it claims that the coating that is sprayed on is merely a "sunscreen" that preserves the color, and "By the time a Christmas Tree is harvested around Thanksgiving and put up, the colorant is gone."





However from my research it appears that the colorant is actually dark green and "will not wash off, wear off, or fade in sunlight"


http://www.kirkcompany.com/grower_produc...





"Prior to delivery, our pines are sprayed with a permanent colorant "


http://www.pleasantvalleytree.com/wholes...





"Some consumers may object to the artificial color, but most demand it. "


http://www.ag.uiuc.edu/~vista/html_pubs/... (Ctrl + f "colorant")








So it looks to me like many species of Christmas trees are sprayed with a colorant that actually is like paint and not like sunscreen. Can I get some experts to verify?

Are Christmas trees "painted"?
Granny's right nice job, taught me a thing or two. I guess I don't give it much thought, being a bachelor. I usually don't bring a tree in for the holidays, I just put up exterior lights on one of the trees I can see from the recliner. Thank god nobody has gone retro and started "flocking" them like in the 60's! RScott
Reply:I'm no expert, but yes they do spray tint the trees that are marketable but do not have good color. There is also a spray that they put on young transplants for possible winter damage to protect it. It is a waxy substance.


Your Research is EXCELLENT!


You have backed up your information.