O, Christmas Tree ...

As an environmentalist, I've read up on Christmas tree issues and have decided to go with the live variety. There are benefits, as discussed in the clips from an article in Williamsburg Yorktown Daily by Eileen Weldon, below. In addition, a tree purchased from a local tree farm helps the local economy and allows a farmer to keep farming his land. Read more:

"Before Christmas trees were commercially grown, people cut trees indiscriminately from the woods, with little consideration for the continuance of the forest. The organization American Forests started the tradition of giving a cut Christmas tree to President Coolidge in 1924, a tradition continued each year by the National Christmas Tree Association. American Forest’s gift to the President was their way of encouraging the use of living Christmas trees as a conservation measure. It was meant to discourage the random cutting of forest evergreens. After all, Christmas trees provide benefits from the time they are planted until the time they are recycled after the holidays.

"Have you ever considered how Christmas trees are grown or what it takes to produce that perfect specimen? Depending on the variety of tree, the soils and the climate, it takes an average of seven to 12 years to harvest a seven-foot tree. According to the National Christmas Tree Association, nearly 35 million trees are harvested on 500,000 acres of land by commercial Christmas tree growers each year and two to three new seedlings are planted for each tree that is harvested. Christmas trees are grown in all 50 states.

"The seeds are started in planting beds and grown for up to three years until established. Depending on the size, they are often transplanted into a second nursery bed for another year or two before being re-planted in the production fields. An average of 1,000 to 1,500 seedlings are planted per acre of land, with half a billion trees in various stages growing on Christmas tree farms nationwide.

" ... In the United States, from seeding to harvest, the industry employs more than 100,000 people.

"There are environmental benefits to live Christmas tree production. The organization American Forests estimates that every acre of Christmas tress planted gives off enough oxygen to sustain 18 people. And that the total number of Christmas trees in production commercially in the United States should supply enough oxygen to sustain 18 million people every day. They also point out the benefit of shelter for wildlife and, of course, the benefits gained by recycling Christmas trees after the holidays. One statistic I found surprising is that in 2007 only 21 percent of US households purchased real Christmas trees - 48 percent artificial. Artificial trees offer convenience but are made from non-biodegradable plastic and can last centuries in the environment.

"So back to live Christmas trees — here’s an interesting bit of trivia. In the 1840s, a German professor introduced the people of America to the custom of decorating live Christmas trees...and where else but in Williamsburg, Virginia?"