Fresh Cut Christmas Trees: Good for the Environment and the Economy

Some people think it is wasteful and harmful to the environment when Americans cut down and use 30 million live trees to celebrate Christmas.  There concern for tree loss is understandable, but it is important to understand that there are over 350 million Christmas trees growing on farms across the United States as sustainable crops like corn, pumpkins, or tomatoes.  In 2012 alone, over 46 million Christmas tree seedlings were planted on farms where they will be grown, sheared, and protected from insects and diseases for 6-10 years before they are ready for sale.   While those trees are growing they consume large amounts of carbon dioxide (greenhouse gases that are warming our planet), produce oxygen, prevent soil erosion, capture and reduce storm water runoff that can cause stream flooding, and provide habitat and winter cover for many wildlife species.   Better yet, they keep local working farms alive and profitable.  There are more than 12,000 Christmas tree farms in the United States and in 2009 Pennsylvania tree farmers had over $19.3 million dollars in sales, accounting for 7.8 % of the national market.  Nationally over 100,000 people are employed full or part-time by the Christmas tree industry.
  
Once the holidays are over, 93% of real Christmas tree consumers recycle their tree in community recycling programs, their garden or backyard.  Those trees become mulch, compost, or habitat for wildlife and fish (when placed in ponds).  

Now compare that to artificial trees.  The first artificial tree was made largely of aluminum and was manufactured in the United States, first in Chicago in 1958.   Today, most artificial trees are made from PVC plastic with 85% of them being manufactured in China and shipped thousands of miles across the world to a retail store in the United States.  Those artificial trees do not provide oxygen, soils stabilization, or wildlife habitat, although we might be able to recycle the plastic at some point.  In 2011, Americans purchased 9.5 million artificial trees, helping China’s economy. 

So this holiday, as we purchase many of our electronics, toys, and decorations that were manufactured in China or elsewhere, consider taking the family on an outdoor adventure to buy an American grown fresh cut tree from a local farm.  It real does help our economy and our environment.

For more information about selecting and caring for your cut Christmas tree, visit http://extension.psu.edu/allegheny/news/spotlight/selection-care-of-cut-christmas-trees


Vincent Cotrone
Urban Forester
Penn State University

Chipmunks and Squirrels

As you are putting up holiday decorations, doing some last minute outside repairs, or cleaning up around your yard, keep an eye out for two potential problems: squirrels and chipmunks. They can easily settle around and even inside your house for the winter, plus they can damage your plants.

Chipmunks burrow around areas where they are well hidden, such as wood piles, brush, basements, and garages. The damage these spunky little creatures can do is surprising. By tunneling under patios, retention walls, stairs or foundations, they can cause structural problems. They consume flower bulbs, seeds, seedlings, and even pet food.

Exclusion is the best way to manage chipmunk damage. Close all openings where chipmunks can enter the home with caulking or hardware cloth. Covering your landscape beds with this mesh will protect your bulbs and seeds. Spread soil over the hardware cloth.  Exclusion also is the best way to prevent damage.

Certain landscape features provide protection for chipmunks, such as ground covers and shrubs. These make it easy for chipmunks to gain entry to your home. Remove piles of debris and keep grass cut short. Modifying your landscape for the winter will keep chipmunk activity down.

Related to chipmunks, is the squirrel. This omnipresent rodent derived its name from the Greek word meaning “to shadow” referring to their big bushy tails. Once inside your home, they can damage insulation, walls, and electrical wires. Squirrels do damage because of their propensity to gnaw on structures.  Once inside they chew on insulation and electrical wires. This is dangerous as bare wires are a fire hazard.

Of less of a danger, but still a nuisance, is a squirrel’s relentless pillaging of bird feeders. Adding to the list of annoyances is their habit of damaging your landscape through their quest to find or hide their cache of nuts. They feed on seeds, mature fruit, and grains.  As squirrels clip shrubs and trees to build their nests, they make them susceptible to winter damage.

Exclusion is the first step. It is important to make certain no squirrel is inside your home before blocking entrances. Squirrels will do even more damage trying to get out. Baited box traps in an attic may catch a locked in squirrel. Lighting attic space has been a deterrent. Chemicals and repellents are costly and have shown only modest success.

Habitat modification is effective. Trimming trees six to eight feet from buildings will keep squirrels from jumping onto roofs. If they are attacking bird feeders, consider nailing an ear of corn to a fence post far away from the problem area. There are squirrel baffles and many kinds of squirrel resistant feeders on the market.

For more help on protecting your home and landscape from these four-footed nuisances, contact the Penn State Master Gardeners in Lackawanna County at 570-963-6842 or email LackawannaMG@psu.edu and request the free publications on chipmunks and squirrels


Steve Ward
Master Gardener Coordinator

Protection And Control Of Rabbits

There is one familiar furry resident in your home landscape which does tremendous damage in the upcoming winter months.  While rabbits live year-round in your garden, their behavior is more pronounced now. Protecting the trees, shrubs, and perennials from these varmints will help them cope with the seasonal struggles better.

Rabbits chew off buds and stems of shrubs and other low-growing plants. Rabbits harm the bark of young trees, especially fruit trees. Damage is usually confined to 18 to 24 inches above ground or snow level. Stems are cut off cleanly, leaving a sharp 45-degree angle cut. Other tell-tale, or maybe bunny-tail, signs of a rabbit visit include elongated tracks in the snow and little piles of round brown droppings.

Control rabbits by:

• Eliminating hiding places such as brush, tall grass, and weeds. Remember crawl spaces, under decks and sheds.
• Protecting gardens with fencing. A chicken wire fence, with a one-inch or finer mesh at least two feet high, provides adequate protection.
• Extend the bottom of the fence at least six inches below the soil line.
• Using tree guards, wraps or hardware cloth around the trunks of young trees. Dig hardware cloth into the ground at least six inches and extend it well above the anticipated snow level. As the tree grows, the barrier must be loosened.
• Using repellants. These are available at local garden supply stores. By law, all commercial repellents must be used according to instructions on the product label.
• Trapping. Rabbits are protected species in Pennsylvania so when done out of season, it should only be done when they are causing damage to private property and in accordance to PA laws.

The Penn State Master Gardeners in Lackawanna County have a free publication on the control of rabbits. Please contact us at 570-963-6842 or email LackawannaMG@psu.edu for a copy.


Steve Ward
Master Gardener Coordinator
Penn State Cooperative Extension in Lackawanna County

Winter Bird Care

The chill of November is here to remind us the cold will soon settle in for a long stay. Most people have started preparing in many ways: putting the storm windows on the house, storing the hoes and tools, cutting back perennials, and so on. It seems there is just as much work to end the growing season as starting it. There is one more task a homeowner can do which reaps all sorts of rewards: winter bird feeding.

As plants die back or go dormant, coupled with a snow cover, a bird’s food source is diminished. If you provide a feeder and seed during the winter time, you sustain our feathered friends which give you a productive task during the bleak months of winter. Consider taking up bird watching as a winter hobby too.

 

Depending on the habitat and neighborhood, you can see as many as thirty-five different species of birds. This has an impact on the kind of food you need. Not all birds prefer one kind of seed. At your local garden center, you can find as many as twenty different kinds of bird food. The best all-purpose food is a black-oil sunflower seed. It has a thin seed coat so it easy for smaller birds to crack open, but it does cost more. Striped sunflower seed is popular with bigger birds, but one disadvantage is the spent hulls left behind. Shelled or whole peanuts are a good choice for blue jays, chickadees, and woodpeckers. Seed mixes work well, but birds have been known to sort through the stuff they like and leave the rest behind. Suet provides much-needed fat in the winter. For a family project, “marvel meal” can be made at home.

The type of feeder you use will attract different kinds of birds as well. A hopper feeder looks like a house with plexiglass sides on top of a platform where the seed is dispensed as birds eat it. The plexiglass makes it easy to tell when more seed needs to be added. The seed is protected against the weather, but not so well against squirrels. Tube feeders are hollow plexiglass cylinders with multiple feeding ports and perches. These hanging feeders attract species that typically feed off the ground. You can attach a tray to the bottom to catch scattered seeds and to allow larger species to feed. Tray or platform feeders are simple, flat, raised surfaces on which you spread seed. Easy to make, they are one of the most popular feeders. Birds that typically feed on the ground are particularly attracted to this type of feeder. A disadvantage of platform feeders is that they are not squirrel-proof or weather resistant. They should have drainage holes for water and need to be cleaned often to remove bird droppings. Only one day’s worth of food should be put out at a time. Water becomes very scarce in the winter time. Adding a water source will attract even more diversity. Birdbaths do not have to be fancy. Terra cotta planter saucers work well, as do trash can lids, turned upside with some stones placed inside to keep it from blowing away.

 

Site selection is the last thing to keep in mind. You can place the feeders close enough to watch from a window. Birds in winter can be very entertaining. Keep it about ten feet from trees and shrubs. Birds do not venture far from protective cover. This gives them an opportunity to be close to shelter, gives them a perch to rest, and protection from elements. Monitor for the presence of cats and squirrels too. If you see signs of bear, remove the feeder at once. If a bear knows there is a food source, he will keep coming back for more.

If you would like more information on this topic, the Penn State master gardeners in Lackawanna County have the free publication “Winter Bird Feeding” available. Contact us at 570-963-6842 or email at LackawannaMG@psu.edu  to request a copy.

 

Steve Ward
Master Gardener Coordinator

Spring Bulbs

Gardening has its good and not-so-good parts. It is a healthy hobby, but intense at times. Whether it is a vegetable, annual, or perennial, nothing is as rewarding as seeing the home landscape in full maturity.  However, it takes a lot of work, trial, and error to achieve results.  One benefit of gardening is it teaches us patience.  Good things come to those who wait.  As we are getting ready to put our gardens to bed for winter, we also need to think of next year at the same time, but we will be rewarded in time.

Think about spring color now, how nice it would be to see bright colors emerging as the rest of the garden still slumbers.  Tulips, hyacinths, daffodils, can greet us warmly, but we have to do the work now.  Spring-flowering bulbs are unparalleled in terms of choices for plant material, kinds of blooms and colors, and a varied bloom time.  There is some time left to do this, and you can find some really good deals at your local garden center now.

Some things to consider...
Site:
Most bulbs need well drained soil.  If the area tends to have standing water after a spring thaw, then look for another location.  It is generally recommended not to plant under trees.  Bulbs require five to six hours of full sun at a minimum, and eight to ten for the best flowers.  Clusters, or larger groupings, have the most eye appeal so make sure you have plenty of room for a big display.  Avoid planting in a lawn or location that might be damaged from lawn care.  Their foliage needs as much sun as possible, so if they are cut down before dieback, it may affect the bulb quality. Spring bulbs do best if they are left in the same location year after year, so pick a site with that in mind.  Preparation is key to success for spring bulbs.  Loosen the soil to a depth of about twelve inches.  Add composted organic material to the top eight inches.  If you haven’t had a soil test done, then choose a low nitrogen formula.  There are many tailored just for spring bulbs.

Selection:
“Bulb” is a general term used to describe a host of plants. True bulbs include tulips, lilies, and daffodils.  Crocus start as corms.  Bearded iris and lily of the valley have tubers, which are thick underground stems.  Whichever you choose, tulips and daffodils have a wide variety of colors, and bloom types. They offer the greatest range of bloom times as well. Crocus give you the earliest color.  Hyacinths have a sweet fragrance outside.  Consider mixing and staggering your plantings to give you continuous color from March through May.  Spring bulbs, with very little care, will come back each year, fuller with better color.

The Penn State master gardeners in Lackawanna County have the free publication “Hardy Bulbs in Pennsylvania.”  For a copy, please contact us 570-963-6842 or email LackawannaMG @psu.edu.



Steve Ward
Master Gardener Coordinator
Penn State Cooperative Extension in Lackawanna County