Even though we know that trees fight air pollution, reduce respiratory issues, and are all-around amazing, it seems there is never an adequate budget for planting and maintaining them.
At the same time, I can’t help but notice how many cars have been transporting real “Christmas” trees in the days following Thanksgiving. These range in price, $45-80.
This is money being spent outside city limits on a good that could be grown here if anyone wanted to make that investment. They would need to have decent drainage, and the willingness to fertilize and trim the trees.
We have the space. Take a look at all the vacant, unused lots scattered around Hartford.
It takes around seven or eight years to grow a tree to the height typically desired by the 21% of the population who purchase real ones for Christmas. Tree farmers plant seedlings every year to have continuous crops. While those trees are growing, we all receive their health and environmental benefits. When you consider that around 1500 trees (spruce, fir, and pine, usually) can be planted on one acre, this is not an insignificant step in the right direction toward improving our quality of life.
If someone is looking for a creative way to make a buck while upgrading Hartford, there it is.
[Image courtesy of Simon Matzinger on Unsplash]
Richard Nelson
I am not sure about this. More making a buck on death. I recently had a clash about cutting down what is termed Christmas trees. I am of the mind that we need all the trees that we can get and for one group of people to grow trees just to kill for a few weeks pleasure seems to me to be rather anti-healthy planet. Let us plant trees and let them grow. Please, I flatly refuse to argue that these Christmas trees are grown for that purpose to be cut down and used as decorations in pagan households, Woops I meant Christian households, as that has no meaning to this discussion. I rebel against cutting down live trees and will use an artificial half tree, yes you read that right, as my space only fits such a thing, and I am once again in my old age feeling rather arty. There has to be somewhere for our many decorations gathered after 40 yrs. of togetherness. I am not nostalgic for those wonderful memories of Christmas past when all was right and we all traveled by horse and sleigh to grandma’s house, then tromping through the woods looking for the perfect tree cutting it down and triumphally dragging it home, lighting it with candles and hoping to god it doesn’t get dried out and burn the house down. Let’s let all the trees grow and end this practice.