Editorial

Enhance the globe: buy a living Christmas tree

Hardly a century ago, an American president nearly "outlawed" Christmas. His reason? Too many trees were cut down to celebrate the occasion. That president was Teddy Roosevelt, reknowned conservationist and good friend to John Muir. Obviously, the idea didn't stick, but every year at this time, I ask myself "Why couldn't we remake this tradition of cutting down living trees?" Now, before I got much of an argument off the ground, I would be pummeled by farmers' markets across the country who would (quite fairly) remind me that tree farms exist for the exact reason of cutting them down for Christmas trees. There can also be an argument made that there is nothing wrong with "topping" a tree in your own yard (particularly one that has grown too close to high tension wires) or pruning a tree and using that as one's Yuletide foliage. Certainly not everyone jaunts into a national park, axe in hand, ready to chop the living bejezus out of pines and cedars until they find the Perfect Christmas Tree. But like a Currier and Ives painting, we still romanticize the chopping of trees as a holiday ritual. We have convinced ourselves that the killing of trees is as romantic as, say, a sleigh ride or chestnuts roasting by open fires. The only problem is, there's more to the story than we allow ourselves to see--and I'm not just being the grinch by pointing out this fact or suggesting an alternative method to your annual tree purchase.

This idea of buying live Christmas trees isn't original to me. As a kid, I grew up in a developing area that lacked many trees and hence it only made sense to buy a tree one could later replant. This was back in the days when "environment" still meant candlelight and listening to some scratchy Perry Como records over cocktails. Even in this day of environmental crisis, I still won't side with fanatics who put spikes in trees so they (the spikes, not the trees) kill loggers. If a 300-year-old tree falls in a forest, I think it's God's own way of making firewood. (In fact, future studies may even show which old trees need to be cut so younger ones have a better chance of longevity). Still, let me provide you with just a couple of the facts provided to me by Trees for Life, an organization which creates educational activities and provides management to promote three-planting:

• More than 1/3 of the land area of the U.S. was once forested, but nearly half of that forest has vanished.
• We continue to lose trees on 70 million acres of urban woodlands that constitute 15% of our forests.
• Today, for every 4 trees that die in the urban forest, only one is replanted.
• In Africa, 29 trees are cut for every 1 planted.
• Presently, on a worldwide basis, we are cutting trees ten times faster than we are replanting them.
• The human species is destroying an acre of forest every second.

Considering the benefits of trees (not the least of which is that the average tree produces 240 pounds of oxygen annually, or that every tree that is planted can absorb the carbon dioxide produced by burning one ton of coal) I advocate a simple environmental act: buy a living Christmas tree, replant it after the holidays, and help cool the globe.

If you purchase a living Christmas tree:

• Put the tree where it receives as much light as possible. Keep tree away from heater vents or the fireplace to prevent drying out or fire.
• Provide some direct sunlight and proper water; a living tree can stay indoors for weeks.
• Keep the soil moist, but not over-soaked. Place drain pan beneath tree to protect carpets and furniture.
• After the holidays, transplant to a larger pot with added soil mix, (the tree can even be kept for the following year), or plant directly into the yard. If you live in a cold climate where the winter lows are below ten degrees Fahrenheit, the tree should remain in a pot in a well-lit, well-protected area until the temperature raises to 40 degrees. Acclimate to outside temperature before planting.
• To transplant into the ground, dig a hole that is two times the size of the original rootball, then loosen the bottom soil. Mix in extra soil so that the rootball is level with the ground.

If you wish to replant a living tree but have no place to do so, contact any of several groups (parks, 4-H Club, Future Farmers of America, soil conservation, or schools). DONATIONS ARE TAX DEDUCTIBLE.

In a holiday season that uses paper and gas and adds to the general stress of the population, you can do something that will make a lasting, positive contribution to the earth. Buy and replant a living tree that you can enjoy any time of the year. It will be a constant reminder that you are making choices that make a better world.

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