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The Christmas tree as renewable resource
By JOEL M. LERNER, APLD Special to the Washington Post WASHINGTON - If you're trying to decide whether to buy a real or artificial Christmas tree, consider the environment.
Real trees help improve air quality by producing oxygen and reducing carbon dioxide. They're also a renewable resource.
Real Christmas trees dominate the market. At least 32 million will be sold this year, most of them grown in the United States or Canada. That's a lot of air filtered during the five to 10 years those trees were being raised. And almost all of the trees cut for Christmas are replaced with seedlings that will mature into a full stand of trees.
In contrast, 85 percent of artificial trees are made in China. Most parts are not biodegradable, according to the National Christmas Tree Association, which advocates the use of real trees. It will be interesting to see what owners of artificial trees do this year in light of the recent safety problems with Chinese products. Almost 133,000 artificial trees were sold in the United States last year.
Real trees don't have to go to a landfill. After trees are cut and displayed, most will biodegrade and become a rich source of compost. Discarded trees are generally picked up by local jurisdictions, chipped and added to leaves collected to make compost.
You can compost the tree yourself by pruning the limbs to the main trunk. The green needles will add nitrogen to your pile, and the thin, woody stems that the needles grow on will add carbon.
Thinking 'Green'
Here are some other uses for a real tree after Christmas:
- Protect tender shrubs, such as camellias and hydrangeas. Lay the tree between the plant and the path of the prevailing wind, which usually blows from the north or northwest in winter. You can also stand a tree to get extra ornamental value while it's protecting shrubs. Tie it to a steel or wooden support pounded into the ground. Cut it up and compost it in the spring.
- Stand the tree near feeders as a perch for birds. You might get a bird to nest in it. Leave it undisturbed until the baby birds grow up and fly away, which gives the tree about a six-month shelf life. And, by the way, an old country adage says that a bird's nest in a Christmas tree is good luck.
- Create a wildlife habitat. Lay your tree in the background of your garden, slightly out of view. Let it collect leaf litter and other plant debris. Place a hollow log behind it and maybe a dead bush, and you will have created a shelter for wildlife.
Finding Your Tree
You can't root a cut Christmas tree, but you can grow one from seed. If you find a cone on your tree, remove it and put it outside to dry for the winter. Peel back its armor in spring to find a seed in a papery covering behind each woody scale. Plant the seeds in a sunny spot, and in five or 10 years, with proper soil, sun, pruning and temperatures, you'll have a homegrown Christmas tree or two.
If you want a live tree, go to a year-round garden center or tree stand that has experience with live nursery stock. Live trees with root balls can be planted outdoors right after Christmas. This would be a good time to dig and prepare the hole and put soil for planting the tree in an area where it won't freeze.
Keep the root ball on live trees moist and leave the trees inside no longer than a week, so they don't break dormancy. Fire safety officials want you to keep cut trees indoors for as short a period as possible. Enjoy your tree outdoors for the rest of the winter.
Before purchasing, check needles for freshness. They should be pliable.
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