The National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) is encouraging folks across the country to remove their Christmas trees after the holiday season due to fire safety concerns.

According to the NFPA, nearly 30% of U.S. home fires involving Christmas trees occur during the month of January. With this in mind, the association encourages citizens to remove their Christmas trees as soon as possible.

"As much as we all enjoy the look and feel of Christmas trees in our homes, they're large combustible items that have the potential to result in serious fires," said Lorraine Carli, NFPA's vice president of Outreach and Advocacy.

Carli adds that fresh Christmas trees, which continue to dry out and become much more flammable over time, are involved in a much larger share of reported Christmas tree-related fires compared to artificial trees.

According to the latest data from NFPA, 160 home fires began with Christmas trees, resulting in two civilian deaths, 12 injuries and $10 million in direct property damage on average each year between 2015 and 2019.

To safely dispose of your Christmas tree, NFPA recommends you use your local community's recycling program. If possible trees should not be put in the garage or left outside.

NFPA has also offered the following tips to ensure your Christmas lights and decorations all remain in good condition:

-Use the gripping area on the plug when unplugging electrical devices.

-As you pack up light strings, inspect each line for damage and throw out any sets that have loose connections, broken sockets or cracked or bare wires.

-Wrap each set of lights and put them in individual plastic bags or wrap them around with a piece of cardboard.

-Store electrical decorations in a dry place away from children and pets where they will not be damaged by water or dampness..