What Christmas Tree Farms Do for Us

In my article, "I Live in the Middle of a Christmas Tree Farm!" these two very important paragraphs were left out of the article....Maybe this will help you decide between a real tree and an artificial tree for Christmas...

Some may think that cutting a Christmas tree is killing a tree that would otherwise live. This is a common misconception. Christmas trees are grown to be cut. It's a crop, planted to be harvested, and then, replanted again. Each time a tree is cut, one to three new seedlings are planted in its place. Christmas trees, depending on the type, take from 6 to 10 years to be 'ready' for harvesting. During this time the trees are 'cultured' which means they are deliberately grown with denser limbs. This is accomplished by trimming the branches each year, keeping the tree full and even-shaped. Many hours of work go into each tree from the time it is planted as a tiny seedling until it is ready to be cut, bailed and shipped to market.

While the trees are growing, waiting to be harvested, they are working for us too. Each tree absorbs carbon dioxide and other gasses and emits pure, fresh oxygen. Christmas trees also remove dust and pollen from the air. Tree farms help to stabilize the soil, protect the water supplies and provide refuge for wildlife. The beautiful fields of growing trees are often grown in soil that cannot support other crops.

It took me several years to not feel sad when I saw so many of the beautiful trees cut down and harvested each year. Now, I realize that growing Christmas trees is like any other crop. They are replanted and harvested over and over again. And, as an added bonus, I have 6 or 7 years of enjoyment watching the new seedlings growing and flourishing and becoming someone's beautiful Christmas trees all over again!