Lately I've been having an internal struggle. Not one that keeps me up at night, but something that has me thinking. If one choses to have a tree for their holiday celebration... what is the most responsible way to go about it? Abstinence is obviously an option, but we're starting with the premise that one has chosen to have a tree. So, I reckon there are 3 ways to go:1. Buy a plastic tree and re-use it every year
2. Buy a tree from a commercial tree farm
3. Harvest your own
Here are my thoughts. The main elements involved in my thinking on the subject are environmental impact, aesthetics, and cost.
1. Buy a plastic tree and re-use it every year
Most plastic trees I've seen around Bozeman are cheap looking and cost $65 - $100. I didn't want to pay that much for a cruddy looking tree, especially when I don't have much room to store one. I definitely could find a spot in the garage if I really liked a plastic tree. I had one growing up, and it served it's purpose well.
2. Buy a tree from a commercial tree farm
I can't figure out whether it's responsible to support the local tree growers. I'd rather support them, but some of the "local" trees I looked at came from as far away as Kalispell. That's sorta weird, in my opinion. For a 7 ft. tree I was looking at anywhere from $25 - $70, depending on which type of tree. Not a bad price, I suppose, but since I've never owned a tree before, I need a stand as well... $20. They look good, but is that a healthy, sustainable practice those companies are employing? I honestly don't know the answer to that question.
3. Harvest your own
In Gallatin County, for $5.00 you can purchase a Personal Use Christmas Tree Permit from the Beareau of Land Management to go cut down a tree under 12 ft. on National Forest Land. They give you a map of where to do it, and some guidelines such as... stay at least 100 ft. from roads, don't harvest at campgrounds national monuments, cut as close to the ground as possible, etc.
After initially reprimanding my friends who wanted to harvest their own tree.. "Why on earth would you go cut down a live tree?!" I started to see the upside.
One thing I know is that in this situation I have control over how the tree is harvested. I have no idea what happens at tree farms. Plus, I could find a tree that appealed to my sensibilities, get some exercise, and only spend $25 (stand included). Zeus liked the idea, so we headed up to Hyalite to find one. After an hour or so of trying to find the perfect tree, I feel we did. After an anti-climactic 24 seconds of sawing, it was a done deal. I felt good about it. I don't know why, particularly, but probably just one of those inate caveman male pride things. "Uhgha...look what me did!".
More romantically speaking, it reminded me of Thoreau... "Every man looks at his woodpile with a kind of affection." Truer words have never been spoken.
Essentially, I'm wondering what other people think about this issue. Maybe nobody does think about this issue... and I should start spending my time knitting or whittling. One thing to be clear about, although that in my thirtieth year on earth I'm becoming more and more in tune with the condition of our environment and my personal impact to it, I'm by no means a "hard core" environmentalist. You can tell that from the photo of my gas guzzling truck above. But I feel that I'm like many of my peers... trying to make some positive changes as I go along.
Here's one interesting alternative I just found... rent a live tree, root ball and all!
6 comments:
The tree question is an interesting subject, although i've never pondered it before and won't here. The value I recognize in life, and in Jay's short journey to claim a tree, is in the process. Often I forget that the joy lies within the process itself. The individual truths we discover along the way are the fruits of our efforts. Thinking can teach us but only action can change us.
I give a crap...1) buy a norfolk island pine. cheap. not harvested. gives life, energy, fresh air, and all around good mojo to your abode. they can be small. they can be large. in their native habitat (norfolk island in the south pacific, near tonga) they can grow to be 100 meters. not the case indoors in the usa. i've have two. 1 i've had for about 7 years. has more than doubled in size and is about 6 feet tall now. another i've had since last christmas, hardly grown more than a few inches. i've had some trouble keeping our previous xmas trees alive through the winter because the dry furnace air is harsh unless you can keep up with the watering. it seems like once they make it through the first winter they become more "established" and don't require as much care. the problem is you may, like we once had, acquire too many of them. however, they can be reused for xmas year after year if they are still living. katie is not into this idea any longer. she has acquired too many cool ornaments, old school glass and the like, and these trees often are very thin branched and cannot hold too many decorative adornments. kinda pisses on her christmas wishes. i saw several at home depot already 4-6 feet tall for $32. good deal. maybe you don't like being the guardian of house-plants, maybe you do.
2) go to a nursery/greenhouse/local horticultural retailer and pick out a lovely evergreen with root ball intact. the same tree that you would buy to plant in the green space of your domicile. do not plant it quite yet. keep the root ball wrapped, often is burlap, canvas, etc. give it a tasty drink now and then. plop it down in your locale of choosing inside said domicile. make it look perdy. celebrate it and the holidays. once the season has passed, dig a hole in your yard and put aforementioned tree in it. now you have not cut down a tree in the spirit of christmas but you have provided one where one did not previously exist, in the spirit of christmas. cons: expensive, i think. have not priced them out for this year, but landscape species often cost a bit. why, i don't know. don't you think that the space required for a christmas tree farm and the years of work that go into producing a tree simply to cut down would sell for more than they do? such is the way of commerce. unfortunately, i have read lately, that about 2 weeks is the maximum that such trees should be indoors shielded from what makes them happy. so be prepared to plant shortly after your done with it inside. don't know what grows well in your neighborhood or if it is even feasible to plant in january/december. evergreen should do ok until the warmer clime when it can begin putting out roots.
3) acquire a cut tree in the spirit chirstmas tradition. enjoy it. don't burn it down. mulch it, eat it, compost it, etc afterward to return it from whence it came. wait a few months until the weather is more ideal and rid yourself of gaia-guilt by planting a new tree in your yard or other green space. could use arbor day for such occasions. could use rider's birthday for planting occasion. the date is irrelevant, the action is not. even better plant 2 for every one that is cut for your purpose. this is never a bad idea. maybe even better than #1 because most of us would not likely plant too many trees unless it became some part of our/your/my tradition.
there you have it. ethical, responsible, guilt-free christmas livin'.
Hippy
now that i know this has to get approved hope you find resolution to your internal struggle you tofu teaberry patchouli patch pants hippy.
I suppose "internal struggle" was a bit of an overstatement. Basically I just wondered which option for having a tree makes the most sense. I like the ritual of cutting one down myself, and I may continue that tradition. I think it would be a cool thing to do with the kids someday. I think I'll plant 2 trees in the spring for every 1 I harvest in the winter, that makes sense to me.
Trees are renewable! THEY GROW BACK! Remember "Strip mining prevents forest fires"
Post a Comment