Every year Christmas rolls around, we see a fresh-cut Xmas Tree lot on just about every other corner. Where do all these trees come from? Is it bad for our environment? Let’s take a look at some fun facts about Christmas trees, shall we?
General Facts:
Christmas trees have been commercially sold in the US since 1980, and have come from the forest until only recently.
Now 98% of all Christmas trees are grown on farms, the remaining are harvested from the wild to thin the forest
In the US, there are about 21,000 Christmas tree farmers, totaling about half a Billion Christmas trees being grown.
Of 2,000 trees that are planted per acre, 25-50% won’t make it.
Christmas tree genetics has produced better strains of tree seed, which has resulted in higher yields of quality Christmas trees.
It takes 6-10 years to get a mature tree.
93% of Christmas tree consumers recycle their tree in community recycling programs, their garden or backyard.
Recycled trees have been used to make sand and soil erosion barriers and been placed in ponds for fish shelter.
Growers also harvest trees by digging and balling the root and selling the trees as nursery stock or as live, reusable Christmas trees.
Environmental Facts:
Real Christmas trees are promoted over the artificial alternative.
Artificial trees will last for 6 years in a home, but for centuries in a landfill.
Every acre of Christmas trees in production produces the daily oxygen requirement for 18 people; with 500,000 acres in production in the U.S. alone, that amounts to oxygen for 9 million people per day.
Pesticide use on Christmas tree farms is one of the main concerns of environmentalists.
There you have it; A little bit of tree talk on Christmas trees. Happy Holidays!
Don’t know what to do with your Christmas tree after the holiday? Click here to see recycling programs in your area.
Wind is the most persistent of the harmful natural forces to which any individual tree is subjected; And when the windy weather hits, all of a sudden the attention is on the trees.
It is assumed that the more you prune a tree, the lesser the wind resistance, and the lower the risk for tree failure. However, some studies have shown that branches actually dampen the motion of the tree as a whole and increase its stability under extreme wind loadings.
If we think way back to our high school science lecture (if we were paying attention) and consider the First Law of Thermodynamics: Energy is neither created or destroyed, only transferred. So as a survival strategy, the less energy transferred from the wind to the tree, the better the tree’s chance of survival. While a larger canopy will catch more wind, there is more mass for the energy to dampened, which in turns minimizes the transfer of wind energy to the trunk and root system and so results in greater stability.
Emphasis should not be placed on thinning a tree because of windsail, but on the need to maintain trees in a healthy and structurally sound state in order to minimize risk.
So instead of flustering to get your trees pruned in anticipation of every high-wind season, Continue Reading »
It is true that the presence of wilting leaves is an indicator that the soil is lacking moisture, thus the go-to answer is to increase watering, however, leaf wilt can result from a number of other things where increased water may make the problem worse. In urban environments it is common that leaf wilt can be a result of the roots not receiving enough oxygen because of compacted or poorly drained soil. Without enough oxygen, the roots can no longer function properly and water uptake stops. As the water content in the plant decreases, the leaves suffer and begin to wilt. Other environmental factors can cause this same water stress such as:
Extreme temperatures in the root zone
The soil has a high salt content from fertilizers or from the water source
Ever wonder why newly planted trees on your property don’t seem to be surviving? Here are 3 common mistakes in planting a new tree:
1. The tree was planted too deep – If a tree is planted below the soil surface, water and soil will collect around the trunk and may be susceptible to root rot and other diseases.
2. Failure to allow good root establishment – When the tree was dug for transplanting, more than 95% of the absorbing roots were severed, because of this, rapid root generation is necessary for a new tree to thrive. If the surrounding soil is too compact, the roots will have a hard time propagating.
3. Improper watering – More newly planted trees die from too much watering than not enough, too much watering will suffocate the roots, so try to find a happy medium.
Watch the video below to see how the Certified Arborists at A Plus Tree do it the right way…
Welcome to the first ArborPLUS newsletter. Don’t worry, we won’t flood your inbox with boring articles. Our hope is that we can send out informative and interesting blogs every now and then that pertain to the trees on your property.
If you would like us to write about specific topics, feel free to email suggestions to info@arborplus.com
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Our first topic is:
To Stake or not to Stake
Most would think that it’s necessary to stake newly planted trees. But, is it really? Let’s take a deeper look.
First, why tree stake?
If the tree is planted in a deep hole and tree may sink or tilt as the soil settles
If the tree will be harmed by human interaction (e.g. foot traffic) and needs protection
In areas of high winds
If the tree has a floppy trunk and is not self-supporting
While staking is advantageous to the tree’s support and growth, let’s consider some of its consequences:
