Real Christmas trees absorb carbon dioxide and other gasses and emit fresh oxygen. Every acre of Christmas trees grown produces the daily oxygen requirement for 18 people. Farms that grow Christmas trees stabilize soil, protect water supplies and provide refuge for wildlife while creating scenic green belts. Often, Christmas trees are grown on soil that won’t support other crops.
Real Christmas trees are a renewable resource grown on farms like other agricultural crops. Grown on sustainable farms, real trees are cultivated like produce, nuts or other crops, and do not threaten natural forests – a common misconception. Additionally, real Christmas trees are renewable and growers’ plant one to three to replace every tree they harvest. Real trees can also be recycled and turned into mulch or compost or they can be sunk in ponds/lakes to provide fish bedding and feeding cover, so no waste goes into landfills.
In contrast to real Christmas trees, artificial trees are a petroleum-based product manufactured primarily in factories located in China. The average family uses an artificial tree for only six to nine years before throwing it away, where it will remain in a landfill for centuries after disposal. According to The Sierra Club, “PVC products are dangerous to our health and the environment from start to finish — in the factory, at home, and in the trash — releasing poisonous chemicals linked to cancer and birth defects.” They are also partly made out of lead for the stand and limbs.
An integrated pest management program and an erosion control plan have been in place since the early 1980’s at Noble Mountain. This has been an important part of our company’s efforts to be true “stewards” of the land and not only maintain but improve our sustainability “footprint”.
Between rotations we not only rest our soil but improve it by adding appropriate nutrients and planting Sudan grass to add several tons per acre of humus (green manure) building material back into the soil. This helps to prevent erosion in addition to providing soil building benefits.
Noble Mountain developed a straw water bar erosion control system in the 1980’s which, when erosion measurements were taken by the state Agricultural Stabilization and Conservation Service, showed no appreciable erosion on even the steepest slopes planted. Over 200 tons per year of grass straw is placed throughout the farm to minimize erosion potential. An additional benefit is that residual seed in the straw germinates and provides not only additional help with erosion control but also cover and food for small birds and animals.
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