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- One of the major perks of choosing an artificial Christmas tree? You can reuse it for the next holiday season—and the one after that, and the one after that. (Plus, you don’t have to water it.) The downside? You have to figure out how and where to store your tree so that it’s ready to be put on display 12 months from now. Chances are, your faux Christmas tree came in a box—but that’s.
Tree Care & Planting. The Arbor Day Foundation convenes three days of Water Dialogues, bringing together corporate water stewards Science has demonstrated that water and forests are essential to human health, social and economic development, and the broader ecosystem.
Trees can enhance any property with beauty, shade, tranquility, and home value. It Because they’re so advantageous to keep healthy, it’s crucial to learn as much as you can about tree care tips for your property.
1. Begin landscape care, especially for new trees, in the fall
Many people wait until spring to begin thinking about their landscaping, but the pros know that getting a head start in the fall can make springtime care easier and more rewarding. There are a few important steps to take when preparing your trees for colder weather. Nip problems in the bud by practicing the PINE method: prune, inspect, nourish and extend.
- Prune unruly branches
- Inspect trees for dying limbs, insect damage or signs of disease
- Nourish trees with water and organic mulch
- Extend next year’s growing season by planting new trees in the fall
Tree Your
Remember that healthy, well cared for trees generally don’t die, snap, lose limbs, or house termites. Keeping your trees healthy can help prevent damage to your home and property.
2. The best care for some of your trees may be to leave them alone
Trees don’t need humans to grow. Most trees thrive where they are planted, but humans sometimes inadvertently damage the trees they’re hoping to showcase. Just parking a car underneath a tree regularly can damage the tree by tamping down the ground too hard, making it difficult for the roots to grow and shift in the soil.
Many times, homeowners want to build a structure near or around a beautiful tree to have the tree enhance the final construction project. Don’t do it! When construction is too close to trees it can damage their roots and growth space. Roots need two to three times the length of branches to grow enough to support a tree. Be sure to discuss what your trees need with a contractor, and mark off places where you don’t want construction vehicles to drive or park.
3. Observe your trees and become familiar with tree diseases
Even though leaving your trees alone can be the best way to protect them, it’s also a good idea to observe them regularly so you’ll know when they change. A diseased tree is best diagnosed early. Changes you should monitor range from rapid discoloration to stunted growth. Knowing what your tree looked like when it was healthy can also be helpful when calling an arborist — a specialist in caring for trees, shrubs and other woody plants — to consider solutions.
Getting yourself a guide to trees and their diseases will be key in considering a diagnosis for a tree on your property that’s changed noticeably. According to Mark Chisholm, a third-generation, certified arborist in New Jersey, “There are some great online tools that can help you learn how to identify the trees on your property, including the Arbor Day Foundation’s “What Tree Is That?” guide. Once you know what kinds of trees you have, you can research how to care for them and whether there are local threats including pests and diseases. You can also have an ISA-Certified arborist visit your property and assess the health of your trees. Your arborist might be able to catch potential hazards in that first visit.”
4. Weekly mulching and pruning
While you won’t need to do much to keep your trees healthy, it makes sense to take some simple precautions to ensure they last a lifetime. Surrounding the base of your trees with mulch is a great idea. Mulch will protect the tree from over-watering and over-fertilizing. Layer the mulch 2 to 3 inches thick and keep it away from the bark of the tree. Make sure to remove the older mulch before putting on a new layer.
Most trees don’t need much pruning, in fact, pruning can slow the growth because the tree must heal before it continues to grow. Good times to prune a tree are when you see dead limbs or those that have cracked because of strong wind or a rain storm. You should take the time to safely cut these limbs or branches away from the tree to prevent them from falling and possibly damaging your property.
5. Choose the right trees to plant on your property.
Mark Chisholm explains, “I tell my clients to pick the right tree for the right place. That means considering how tall and wide the tree will be when it’s mature, whether it will lose its leaves in the winter, whether its shape — a tall column or a round ball — will fit in the space and how fast it will grow. You may love that beautiful oak, but will it fit when it’s fully grown?”
Around autumn, it’s also important to take into consideration if any leaves will fall onto your driveway or street. Wet leaves can be a slippery mess. Even just a single layer of wet leaves can make braking or steering difficult. Be sure to be weary of where leaves may fall, and drive slowly to avoid patches.
Taking the time to make intentional choices about your trees will give you a lifetime of joy in your natural space, or make it easier to sell should you decide to move.
Tree Your World
Christmas trees in the United States are a big deal. According to the National Christmas Tree Association, 25-30 million are sold every year. Many environmentalists cringe at this thought, but there are lots of options for making this once-a-year practice more sustainable.
Rent a Tree!
Yes, you read that right. Find a local business that grows live potted trees, delivers them to your doorstep, and then picks them up after Christmas. These trees are less of a fire hazard, help your indoor air quality, and drop less of those annoying pine needles everywhere.
Feeling attached to your tree? Don’t worry. Hug away. And, you can rent the same one year after year.
Start a Personal Forest?
Okay, so you’re ready to commit? Then this option might be right for you: you can purchase a live tree with root ball intact. After Christmas, remove the decorations and give the tree a new life outside in your yard or in a nearby forest. You might also consider a non-traditional option, like a fruit tree or other plant that might better compliment your space.
Here’s some guidance around tree planting.
No, I Like the Tradition of a Cut Tree.
That’s okay! As these trees grow on the farm, they release oxygen and absorb carbon dioxide. You can opt to cut one yourself on National Forest land. The US Forest Service guidelines help ensure that you remove trees in a responsible manner that may even benefit the forest.
Or, visit your local tree farm! Christmas tree farms provide around 100,000 jobs, which is something you can feel good about. Choose organic where you can, so you’re not exposing the environment or your home to toxic chemicals.
After Christmas, make sure to recycle your cut tree at one of 4,000 recycling centers across the country, where it can be turned into mulch or otherwise used in conservation and restoration efforts. Many towns have local pick up service as well.
The Great Christmas Tree Debate: Fake or Real, which is Best?
You might notice that we didn’t include artificial trees in our list of sustainable options.
There are many reasons for this. Artificial trees are made from petroleum-based products and many contain chemicals that are harmful during production, in your home, and after they’re discarded. 85 percent of these trees are imported from China, so their carbon footprint is quite large. And, while many point to the long-life of these trees, consumers only keep them for an average of 6 years before they are sent to spend eternity in a landfill, where they have many negative impacts. If you’re interested in an artificial tree, see if you can rescue a used one!
Why do we support real Christmas trees as a more environmental option? Well, their climate impact is one major reason. Like all plants, Christmas trees grow by absorbing carbon dioxide from the air; this carbon makes up around half of the tree’s dry weight. So, these trees spend their average lifespan of 7 years providing this service, and they are ultimately biodegradable. When you buy a real Christmas tree from a farm, it’s a crop grown specifically for this purpose, oftentimes on soil that can’t support other agriculture. And, while it’s growing, it may be preserving green space and habitats.
Research shows that the amount of carbon dioxide released from an artificial tree’s life cycle is around 18 pounds per year (based on its average 6 years of use), whereas a real tree releases around 7 pounds (if the tree is incinerated after use).
Note that when a tree is burned or otherwise allowed to decompose, the tree’s carbon is released back into the air—a major reason why we advocate for real trees that live past the holiday season.
Bonus, there IS a Regenerative Option!
Check out this Christmas tree farm that uses regenerative methods. These farmers are coppicing trees to produce a new Christmas tree every decade on rootstocks that have been around since the 1950s! Less disturbance of the soils means more carbon sequestered or drawn out of the atmosphere, so you can feel great about the climate benefits of this option. This is our #1 recommendation for the greenest possible Christmas trees, but only those near the Massachusetts farm may really be able to benefit.