\u00a0 $\"033\"$ \u00a0\u00a0 One of my favorite Christmas tree stories is from when I worked at the Seymour Botanical Conservatory in Tacoma.\u00a0 A young, urban minister from one of the nearby churches came in around March to ask why his tree was dying.\u00a0 After Christmas he had put it on his balcony and had been faithfully watering it.\u00a0 Seeking more information, I asked him whether it was balled-and-burlapped or in a pot.\u00a0 I had to stifle a guffaw when he told me it was in its stand!\u00a0 The cut tree he had been nurturing for three months was essentially dead.\u00a0 To give him some credit, it may have lived if it had been a willow!<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

$\"An$ <\/a>

An artificial tree can be chosen that is just the right size & shape.<\/p><\/div>\n

\u00a0\u00a0 But today, which really is the \u201cgreenest\u201d option, an artificial, cut, or living tree?\u00a0 I admit to\u00a0having owned\u00a0an artificial tree (our son got over-eager one year and decided to put it up himself. He improperly, forcibly bent the branches down by mistake, basically ruining the tree for future use).\u00a0 It was convenient, cheaper and was reused year after year.\u00a0 (My husband would like to buy another, but I am resisting.) The problem is that artificial trees are not biodegradable and will eventually end up in a landfill.\u00a0 Additionally, they are made of PVC plastic that may contain toxic chemicals. \u2013Not what we want our children gathered \u2018round.\u00a0 Most are made\u00a0in and shipped from China, adding to their carbon footprint.<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

$\"A$ <\/a>

A Natural Douglas Fir<\/p><\/div>\n

<\/p>\n

\u00a0\u00a0 In contrast, cut trees are grown locally and can sequester a significant amount of carbon while they are growing–and they are renewable.\u00a0 Some farms may use pesticides and chemical fertilizers.\u00a0Perhaps you can find an organic tree farm; I have some I grew myself, but they are getting too big now, I may use the tops of the nonnative species\u00a0sometime in the future.\u00a0After the holidays, the tree can be recycled into mulch, returning to and improving the soil for other plants.<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

$\"Picking$ <\/a>

Picking out a Christmas Tree in Olympic National Forest<\/p><\/div>\n

\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Another option for a family outing is to head to our National Forests and find a \u201cnatural\u201d tree to thin from our timberlands.\u00a0 By issuing permits, the Forest Service controls the species, location, the quantity, and size of trees collected.\u00a0 Basic permits are $5.00 in the Olympic National Forest<\/a>\u00a0and $10.00 in Mt.Baker-Snoqualmie National Forest.<\/a>\u00a0 Contact a ranger station for more information.<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0\u00a0 If you bring a live tree inside, try to limit the time kept inside to less than a week.\u00a0 Afterwards, keep it in a cool, well-lit area until outside temperatures are less frigid (in the 50\u2019s)– do not allow the soil to dry out!\u00a0 If it lives, <\/i>it may become a treasured part of your landscape.<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

$\"An$ <\/a>
An older Noble Fir with cones<\/p><\/div>\n
\u00a0\u00a0 My favorite species is the Noble Fir<\/a>.<\/strong>\u00a0 It is open and ornaments hang from it nicely.\u00a0 Grand Fir<\/strong><\/a> has long, dark-green, flat needles.\u00a0 California\u2019s White Fir<\/strong> is similar, but has a bluish color.\u00a0 The popular, Fraser Fir<\/strong>, from the southern Appalachians, is nicely pyramidal. All firs have a lovely, balsamy smell.<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n
\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Douglas Fir<\/strong><\/a> is so common here that many don\u2019t appreciate it\u2019s natural beauty.\u00a0 It is often sheared to make a perfect pyramid, but an irregularly-shaped Douglas fir is often the \u201cCharlie Brown\u201d tree that is best loved!<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n
$\"Western$ <\/a>
Western White Pine<\/p><\/div>\n
\u00a0\u00a0 Those with allergies may prefer the less aromatic pines.\u00a0 Western White Pine<\/strong> <\/a>has soft, long needles with flexible branches. The more traditional Scotch Pine,<\/strong> with its stiffer branches and sharp needles can support heavier ornaments.<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n
\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Surprisingly, our native Sitka Spruce<\/strong><\/a> is sometimes used as a large, civic Christmas tree in the British Isles.\u00a0 Live Colorado Blue Spruce<\/strong> should be avoided in the northwest due insect pest problems.\u00a0 All the spruces are very prickly!<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n
\u00a0\u00a0 Western Red Cedar<\/a> branchlets<\/strong> are often used in garlands and wreaths for aromatic, festive decorations.<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n
\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 As is appropriate, many other evergreen species of fir, pine, and spruce are used in other regions where they are native.\u00a0 Even Eastern Red Cedar<\/strong> (a juniper) and the hybrid Leyland Cypress<\/strong> have graced holiday festivities.<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n
\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Whatever you choose, have a \u201cGreen\u201d Holiday and enjoy decorating your beautiful tree with your family!<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n
\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 One of my favorite Christmas tree stories is from when I worked at the Seymour Botanical Conservatory in Tacoma.\u00a0 A young, urban minister from one of the nearby churches came in around March to ask why his tree was dying.\u00a0 After Christmas he had put it on his balcony and had been faithfully watering<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":665,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[70],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/habitathorticulturepnw.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/648"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/habitathorticulturepnw.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/habitathorticulturepnw.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/habitathorticulturepnw.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/habitathorticulturepnw.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=648"}],"version-history":[{"count":15,"href":"https:\/\/habitathorticulturepnw.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/648\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":936,"href":"https:\/\/habitathorticulturepnw.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/648\/revisions\/936"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/habitathorticulturepnw.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/665"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/habitathorticulturepnw.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=648"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/habitathorticulturepnw.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=648"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/habitathorticulturepnw.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=648"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}