By Senator Patty Ritchie
For families all across New York State Christmas is a time for tradition.
One special tradition for many is going out to pick out the family Christmas tree.
For some, the decision is between whether to buy a real tree or an artificial one.
For my family, that decision is easy—there is nothing like a freshly cut, evergreen. From the smell of pine to that deep green hue, for us, it is not Christmas until we pick out our tree.
Not only are real trees beautiful—and as I mentioned, smell great—there are many other reasons to ‘go real.’
When you choose to buy a real tree from an area Christmas tree farm, you are supporting our state’s leading industry—agriculture.
With roughly 300,000 New York-grown trees sold by more than 750 farms in Upstate New York, our state ranks sixth in the country for the number of acres dedicated to growing Christmas trees.
In addition, according to the Christmas Tree Farmers Association of New York, the industry is responsible for an economic impact of $13.8 million in our state annually.
The benefits of real Christmas Trees are not just about dollars and cents, they help the environment as well.
For example, according to the Christmas Tree Farmers Association of New York, the 17,000 acres of traditional Christmas trees grown by New York farmers each year help to provide 5,740 tons of oxygen—that is equal to the weight of 25.5 Statues of Liberty!
In addition, once the season ends, 90 percent of Christmas Trees are recycled through one of several thousand tree-recycling programs throughout the country.
When the trees are chipped, they can be used as mulch, composted or burned as fuel.
The whole trees, or their limbs, can also be used to provide fish habitat in ponds and on beaches to control erosion.
This Christmas, if a fresh tree, wreath or other evergreen product is what you are ‘pining’ for, I encourage you to ‘shop local,’ support a New York State Christmas tree farm and make memories with your family that will last for generations to come.
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