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NEWS Eye on the Environment
Cut tree vs. artificial tree debate changes this year by David Goldstein
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upply chain disruptions, trucking costs, drought, heat waves and fire in the Pacific Northwest have affected the costs and supplies for both cut trees and artificial trees. On its website, the American Christmas Tree Association warns, “These challenges mean that there will be fewer live and artificial Christmas trees available this year, and those that are available will cost more than before.” Dave Lindren, owner of Big Wave Dave’s Christmas tree lots in Ventura, Camarillo and Moorpark, said, “Days of 115-degree heat at our tree farm in Oregon burned new buds, and lack of freezing weather made trees skip needed dormancy, so we have fewer of the best quality trees this year.” Local “cut your own” tree farms provide an alternative to buying either a cut tree trucked from the Pacific Northwest or an artificial tree shipped from China. Local tree farms have also been affected by drought, however. “We’re already sold out of our trees over eight feet,” Keely Hagle, an owner of the Hagle Christmas Tree Farm in Somis, reported last Monday, just three days after the Black Friday opening of retail operations. “We had far fewer big ones this year because we had to cut back on watering to meet pumping restrictions, and the rain didn’t come to make up for the difference.” Efficiency improvements made to irrigation systems will revive small trees and ensure good harvests for next year, but for now, the Hagle Farm is supplementing its chooseand-cut inventory with cut trees from Oregon and Washington. “The Noble fir is a popular
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choice every year,” noted Hagle, “but people might want to consider Nordmann fir or a Douglas fir this year to have more selection.” The local “fir trade” also offers another option. Rather than buying distantly sourced trees each year, some people buy live trees in pots, keeping the trees for a few years before either recycling or planting the trees, according to Richard Flowers, a Certified Nursery Professional with Green Thumb Nursery in Ventura. A four-foot high Nordmann fir, in a pot over 16 gallons, costs about $230 at Green Thumb. Of the fir trees, it is the most adaptable to growing in a pot in our climate and may last eight years before becoming root bound, according to Flowers. Italian Stone pines and Aleppo pines are similar options. Flowers always warns customers thinking about planting their Christmas trees to consider growth patterns before planting. Nordmann firs can grow to be 60 feet high. Shoppers might instead consider a dwarf Alberta spruce. It has a tight branch pattern, making it attractive as a Christmas tree. Some can live up to eight years in a container, and the dwarf variety grows only to about 11 feet high when planted, according to Flowers. This variety is sensitive to heat, however, and is not likely to thrive in the local climate. According to the American Christmas Tree Association website, last year, 94 million households in the United States displayed a Christmas tree in their home, and 85% of those trees were artificial. Clearly, consumers appreciate the convenience of an artificial tree, but is an artificial tree best for the environment? Although artificial
trees are reused year after year, artificial trees do not “save” trees from being cut in a natural forest. Also according to the National Christmas Tree Association, nearly all Christmas trees are grown like crops on “tree farms,” frequently on marginal soil not normally suitable for other types of trees. Market demand for Christmas trees caused these trees to be planted in the first place, so when trees are harvested for use, new trees are planted by tree farmers eager to sustain the profits of their businesses. Some trees are also grown in an environmentally sustainable manner. Michael and Karen Karayan, who in 1996 began operating the long-established Mupu Tree Farm retail site on Ojai Road near Santa Paula, display a certification noting their trees come from a Socially and Environmentally Responsible Farm (SERF) in Oregon. To obtain SERF certification, tree farms develop a sustainability plan, promising achievements in five areas: biodiversity; soil and water resources; integrated pest management; health and safety; and community and consumer relations. Inspections, conducted by the Oregon Agricultural Department, monitor plan compliance and require updates. For consumers prioritizing environmental sustainability, there is one other local option often overlooked. Craigslist for Ventura County currently features over 40 used artificial trees for sale, and one listing in Camarillo for a live tree in a pot. Ventura County Public Works Environmental Analyst David Goldstein can be reached at david.goldtein@ ventura.org or 805-658-4312.
— December 9, 2021
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