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Fraser firs deserve better

2010 January 21

There are many uses for Fraser firs. Photo by Ken Moore.

By Ken Moore

With ally Clay Hudson, I am in dead-heat competition with other “tree ferriers” to deliver the greatest number of orphaned Christmas trees to Diana Steele’s Willow Hill Preschool. For years, Diana has inspired energetic curbside rescuing of discarded trees, mostly native North Carolina Fraser firs, Abies fraseri.

Under Diana’s supervision, these trees eventually settle into meandering brush piles in the woodlands containing her magical gardens and preschoolers’ discovery ground.

The former magnificent North Carolina high-altitude evergreen Fraser fir forests, described as “Christmas Tree Land” by B.W. Wells in The Natural Gardens of North Carolina, are much diminished now by the exotic balsam wooly adelgid insect pest. I remember being awed back in 1967 by the solid blue-green Fraser fir ridgetops along the Blue Ridge Parkway’s highest elevations west of Asheville. Those ridgetops today are steep-sloped deserts of giant dead stems of the former magnificent firs.

Today we see Fraser firs mostly as Christmas tree farm crops in our western counties. Though helping the economy of the region, those farms don’t replace the magnificence of the former Fraser fir forests.

Rescued Fraser firs highlight Willow Hill welcome bunny. Photo by Ken Moore.

Unfortunately, much of the Christmas tree production depends upon heavy pesticide and herbicide use with resulting toxic runoff. A bright side is that some farms are now moving toward pollution-free organic operations.

Just about everyone who enjoyed an indoor tree this past holiday season had a tree cut from one of those tree farms. With the holidays past, those trees are discarded along curbsides into February. Though we are fortunate to have curbside pick-up for landfill composting, it’s sad that we don’t offer each tree a more reverent appreciation by extending its beauty and usefulness outdoors on the home turf.

I want to stop and rescue every curbside discard, take it back and stand it upright in my yard, where it will continue to remain green for many more weeks.

Sited near bird feeders, the trees become excellent shelter and approach perches for birds. Simply set upright in the ground, they provide evergreen elements all around the garden and home landscape for several more months.

After the visual landscape effects are past, the branches can be cut and applied as mulch around trees, shrubs and on garden beds. There are so many creative uses on the home grounds for these trees, there is no sense discarding them curbside, making more work for public-works crews.

Willow Hill preschoolers celebrate their Fraser fir creation. Photo by Diana Steele.

Once again, Diana Steele gets the annual “Citizens’ Award for Creative Orphaned Christmas Trees Recycling.” Not only do these trees provide instant dramatic landscape effect throughout her garden, but before dozens of them ever make the journey down to become woodland brush-pile wildlife habitats, the kids in her preschool move them around and, like budding architects, make tree fortresses, tree castles and even giant bird nests for their creative energies to explore for weeks on end.

So begin planning now on ways you will keep your Christmas tree on your home turf next year!

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