 |
CHRISTMAS TREES |
| Cochise County Cooperative
Extension Home Horticulture Environmentally Responsible Gardening & Landscaping in the High Desert |
|
Living Christmas trees are trees with an intact root system. Their purpose is to be planted and enjoyed for many years to come in the garden. Species of trees most commonly sold and adapted to our High Desert conditions are the Eldarica Pine, (Pinus eldarica), the Aleppo Pine, (Pinus halepensis), and the Italian Stone Pine. Cut Christmas trees do not have a root system and are used only for the holiday season. Ninety five percent of cut trees are grown on tree farms. To select a cut tree, perform a freshness test by gently grasping a branch and pull it towards you. Very few needles should come off. Some loss of the interior brown needles is normal. The tree should be kept in a sheltered, unheated place until ready to bring indoors. Before setting up the tree, make a new, fresh cut across the bottom of the trunk and place it in a stand that holds at least a gallon of water. It will drink a gallon or more the first day and a quart or more the next few days. Keep the tree stand filled with water at all times. If the trunk is exposed to air for more than an hour, sap will form over the cut and seal it. If a seal does form, another fresh cut will need to be made. The most popular fresh-cut trees are Douglas Fir, Fraser Fir, Noble Fir, and Scotch Pine. Noble and Fraser Firs are the best for staying fresher longer. There's good reason to select a living or cut Christmas tree. Living trees stabilize the soil, provides habitat for wildlife, help shade our homes in the summer thus reducing cooling costs, and absorbs carbon dioxide and other gases while emitting fresh oxygen. An acre produces the daily oxygen requirements of 18 people and for every Christmas tree harvested, two to three seedlings are planted in it's place. With approximately 1 million acres in the United States devoted to growing Christmas trees, that translate to 18 million people reaping the benefits of trees and breathing fresh, clean air. The average lifespan for a living tree can be 40-100+ years. On the other hand, the average lifespan for an artificial tree is six years before it ends up in a landfill, remaining there for centuries. Uses for cut trees include placing them in brush pile in an out of the way location for wildlife shelter and when sunk into a private fish pond makes an excellent feeding and refuge area for fish. Branches can be pruned off the tree and used as mulch around the base of plants. Some communities use cut trees to make sand and soil erosion barriers in river beds. The City of Sierra Vista has a "Treecycle" program and will collect cut trees to make mulch or compost. Living trees may be donated and will be planted in one of the many City Parks. Contact the City for more information.
Feature article for the Sierra Vista Herald/Bisbee Daily Review |
