Growing Christmas trees on farms can help wildlife – ecologists
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Farms where Christmas trees are grown are good for the environment. They can perform the same functions as young forests, ecologists believe.
In climatically dangerous times, when cooling and oxygenating the planet is especially important, it seems pointless to support cutting down trees, writes The New York Times. However, growing Christmas trees instead of artificial ones can have many benefits for the environment.
“Christmas tree farms can function much like young forests: they absorb carbon from the atmosphere, cleaning the air and, in many cases, drinking water. They keep the landscape undeveloped by preventing the creation of impervious surfaces.” says Andy Finton, a forest ecologist at the Nature Conservancy in Massachusetts.
According to him, as a rule, 2-3 saplings are planted for each felled tree.
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In addition, says Jill Sidebottom, a spokeswoman for the National Christmas Tree Association, Christmas tree farms are often located on unused farmland.
Andy Finton argues that with the rapid acceleration of natural forest loss, tree farms can provide habitat for wildlife – especially birds and mammals that prefer open spaces on forest edges.
A German study published in 2022 found that conifer plantations can be safe havens for four endangered bird species: the common tern, the shrew, the skylark and the yellowhammer. The soil cover of such plantations can be useful for pollinating insects.
Tom Norby, president of the Pacific Northwest Christmas Tree Association, says only a small fraction of the trees are cut down each year — about 90 percent of farm stands continue to grow and are accessible to animals.
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“On my own farm, I’ve seen deer, rabbits, pygmy owls, bears, coyotes and cougars follow elk and forage in his fields while the mountain ranges are still covered in snow.” – said the man.
Nigel Manley, director of operations for the New Hampshire Society for the Protection of Forests, says that after starting the Christmas tree farm, his organization began to notice “interesting developments” among the rows of fragrant balsam and Fraser firs.
In the spring, nesting individuals appeared in the areas around the young trees: songbirds, bobwhites, deer and woodcocks. Bobolinks stopped here, migrating to and from South America. Deer hid their fawns in long grass. Woodcocks used open spaces for mating flights and raising young.
We will remind, in Germany, a couple decorated 555 Christmas trees at home and set a world record.
Read also: Last year’s and cheap: which Christmas trees were installed in the cities of Ukraine in 2023. PHOTO
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