© Sean Gallup/Getty Images People carry Christmas trees from Christmas tree farm.

Smarter Farming — All Year

Every spring, farmers plant at least one tree for each one cut for last Christmas. Generally, new trees go into the ground in April or early May. “You don’t want to be planting them when they’re actively growing,” explains Bill Gauld at Evergreen Farm in Sterling, Massachusetts.

Weed control requires more work. “Christmas trees do best if there’s not a lot of competition at the root zone,” explains Gauld.

In the past, farmers used full-strength weed killers that stayed in the soil a long time. Modern herbicides usually break down within a few weeks and are generally less toxic.

Farmers used to hoe and mow all around the trees too. That caused erosion in mountain areas like North Carolina. Now many farmers in such areas use diluted herbicides instead. They kill the worst weeds, but let hardy wildflowers grow. Wildflowers like white clover crowd out the nastier weeds while boosting soil nutrients. That’s a win-win for farmers. “By learning how to save on their herbicide, [tree farmers] are also able to save on their fertilizer,” explains Jeff Owen at North Carolina State University.

Wildflowers also provide a habitat for wildlife and helpful insects, like ladybugs and praying mantises. Encouraging helpful insects that eat harmful bugs is part of integrated pest management (IPM). IPM combines, or integrates, different tools to fight pests.

IPM also limits pesticide use. Instead of spraying willy-nilly to kill all bugs, farmers do regular scouting. In other words, they examine trees regularly throughout summer to see if pests are there. If pest numbers keep increasing, then farmers use sprays targeted to particular pests in just the affected areas.

Regular scouting lets farmers use less pesticide and save money. “They spend more time looking and less time spraying,” explains Owen.

Fertilizing is another big job. Without enough nutrients, trees don’t make enough chlorophyll and become yellow. People prefer dark green Christmas trees.

However, too much fertilizer is bad. “Eventually, that could leach into the groundwater,” explains Bert Cregg at Michigan State University. His work helps growers use enough fertilizer for good growth and color, but not so much that it will pollute the environment.

Likewise, in areas that need irrigation, modern farming methods conserve water. “Water has become a more precious resource,” explains Cregg. “We want to make sure that the growers are applying enough that they get good tree survival and good growth, but not so much that they’re causing runoff.”

Getting in Shape

Growers get Christmas trees in shape — literally — by regularly shearing branches throughout the summer. Shearing also encourages new branches to grow, so trees appear fuller.

“It takes a lot of time to shape these trees,” says Gauld. “Every grower does it a little differently and strives in his or her mind to get the perfect Christmas tree.”

During fall, farmers cut trees that will be shipped elsewhere. Cold storage keeps them fresh until December. Others, like Gauld, prepare for customers who will cut their own trees. Evergreen Farm has sheds where visitors sip hot cocoa, buy decorations, and enjoy the holiday sparkle.

Of course, farms sell only a fraction of their trees each year. Raising an eighteen-inch seedling into a full-grown Christmas tree usually takes eight years. Growing a tree from seed takes thirteen years or more.

Planning for the Future

After Christmas, farmers face more work. “You’ve got brush everywhere. You’ve got stumps to cut,” says Gauld. Farmers want to clean everything up before the heaviest snows fall.

Scientists keep working too. Christmas tree genetics aims to develop trees that grow faster, hold needles longer, and resist disease better. Some researchers breed or crossbreed trees with desirable traits. Other researchers hope to use laboratory methods to transfer helpful genes from one species into another.

Together, growers and scientists keep working to produce healthier, more beautiful and environmentally friendly trees. They want to foster lots of merry Christmases for years to come.

Kathiann M. Kowalski writes often for ODYSSEY and other Cobblestone magazines. She loves how a fresh Christmas tree looks and smells in her home each December. She’s less happy about taking it down in January.