A few years after the New Hampshire Forest Conservation Society established a Christmas tree farm, Nigel Manley, who oversees operations, began to notice interesting changes along the edges of the rows of fragrant balsam and Fraser firs. .
In spring, the areas surrounding the young trees attract ground-nesting birds, such as the Bobolink – a songbird that migrates to South America –, the Little Plover and the Woodcock, which take advantage of these open spaces to make their courtship and raise their young. Deer hide their fawns in the tall grass. Waxwings and robins nest in old trees and their young fly away several months before harvest. Mice and voles living on the land attract migrating foxes and birds of prey, such as kestrels and harriers, which feast on the cornucopia whenever the grass is mown.
In these times of climate peril, when the cooling and oxygenating properties of trees have never been more appreciated, it seems counterintuitive to support their felling. Yet the eco-friendly benefits of real Christmas trees are why many environmentalists prefer them to the fake, petroleum-based versions that are shipped from halfway around the world.
Christmas tree farms can function like young forests, says Andy Finton, a forest ecologist with the Nature Conservancy in Massachusetts. Two or three saplings are typically planted for every tree harvested, and according to Jill Sidebottom, a spokeswoman for the National Christmas Tree Association, Christmas tree farms are often set up on unused agricultural land, allowing growers to preserve their green spaces.
“They remove carbon from the atmosphere,” Finton says of trees.
They purify the air and, in many cases, drinking water. They keep the landscape undeveloped, preventing impervious surfaces, by providing economic incentives to landowners.
Andy Finton, forest ecologist with the Nature Conservancy
Faced with intense development pressures and the accelerating loss of natural forests, tree farms can provide habitats for wildlife, particularly birds and mammals that prefer open spaces at forest edges.
A German study published last year showed that conifer plantations could provide important refuges for four threatened species of farmland birds: the linnet, the tree pipit, the northern lark and the yellow bunting. Pollinating insects can benefit from the use of ground cover. A decade ago, researchers recorded 80 plant species on North Carolina tree farms, including waist-high milkweeds growing at field edges, which attracted 17 kinds of bees and predatory insects that devoured harmful trees.
PHOTO NASUNA STUART-ULIN, THE NEW YORK TIMES
While it seems counterintuitive to support the cutting down of Christmas trees, they have undeniable ecological benefits compared to fake, petroleum-based versions.
Tom Norby, president of the Pacific Northwest Christmas Tree Association, says a small portion of the trees are harvested each year, leaving about 90 percent of the others to grow and be available to animals. On his own farm, he has seen deer, rabbits, a pygmy owl, bears, coyotes and cougars, which follow the elk that feed in his fields when the mountain ranges are covered in snow.
Pesticides
Support for farms is not universal. Nathan Donley, director of environmental health at the Center for Biological Diversity, says a real tree is far preferable to a plastic tree, and Christmas tree farms are ecologically superior to golf courses or golf courses. Athletics.
But he adds that large tree farms, especially those in the Pacific Northwest, are typically closely planted monocultures. Also, while food crops are typically sprayed several times a year, he worries that the longer growing cycle of Christmas trees could translate into a heavier, cumulative pesticide load. These could end up in nearby rivers and streams. “We hang on to the species that benefit,” Mr. Donley says. “In the interest of efficiency, sustainability takes a back seat. »
Bert Cregg, a professor of horticulture and silviculture at Michigan State University, says that while pesticide use varies by species and region, Christmas tree growers generally want to minimize use. chemical products. Pesticides are expensive, he says, and many growers live on their farms and don’t want to be exposed. It also says increased use of ground cover plants, such as clover, lowers soil temperatures and absorbs nitrogen, reducing the need for fertilizer.
Between 2013 and 2018, North Carolina Christmas tree growers reported a 21% reduction in pesticide use. Mr Norby also says insecticide use was declining.
Experts agree that by the time the trees reach consumers, very little residual pesticide remains. There are also organic producers who offer untreated trees.
An agricultural commodity
When it comes to the question of whether it is advisable or ethical to cut down trees, David Mizejewski, a naturalist with the National Wildlife Federation, believes Christmas trees should be considered an agricultural commodity.
“I grew up thinking the same thing, like, ‘Oh no, it’s wrong to kill the tree,'” Mr. Mizejewski said. But this “urban ecologist” attitude amounts, according to him, to simplifying the complexity of life and death on the planet. “Just like you eat broccoli, you kill the broccoli plant, right? »
After Christmas, many municipalities grind Christmas trees to make compost or use them as bulwarks against beach erosion. They can be sunk into ponds to create habitats for fish or broken up to provide shelter for household animals.
“This does not mean that a Christmas tree farm replaces untouched nature,” says Mizejewski. “I encourage people to look at things from an ecological perspective, where everything has a life cycle. And most importantly, while it lives, it contributes to the ecosystem. »
This article was originally published in the New York Times.