Some surprising facts about real Christmas trees

The holiday season is full of surprises, and they’re not just under your tree. When it comes to real Christmas trees, there are quite a few surprising facts even Santa himself may not know.

Growing Christmas trees is a year-round occupation. While you may not be thinking of your local Christmas tree grower until December rolls around, rest assured your Christmas tree grower is thinking of you all year long. From planning the spring tree order, to clearing fields of lower branches and stumps left over from the previous season’s harvest, to planting seedlings, to the intensive shearing and shaping that take up an entire summer, a Christmas tree grower’s work never ends.

There’s no danger of running out of trees. Real Christmas trees are produced on a farm, where they’re grown carefully to ensure a continuous supply. For every Christmas tree that is cut down, one to three new seedlings are planted, so there is no shortage of real trees supplied by a Christmas tree farm.

Cutting down a tree can be a good thing. Managed tree growth such as is practiced at a Christmas tree farm can lead to greater soil quality, carbon sequestration, nutrient retention, and more. Strategically cutting down trees also helps maintain overall tree health by minimizing effects of insects and diseases on other trees.

Real Christmas trees are good for the environment. Tree farms provide space and habitat for wildlife such as deer and bear; ground birds such as turkey and quail; rodents that bring in predators such as hawks and foxes; and flowering plants that help feed butterflies, bees, and other insects. Real trees also produce oxygen and absorb carbon dioxide.