Sales of real Christmas trees “are booming as pandemic-weary Americans seek solace,” said a recent headline in the New York Times.
That’s good news for Christmas tree growers, like these in Ohio. But in the interest of recycling and reducing solid waste, what are some good green options to do with a Christmas tree after Christmas?
Here are suggestions from three CFAES experts.
Today, on National Maple Syrup Day, we invite you to celebrate with some CFAES-tapped, student-supporting, flapjack-ensweetening Ohio State Maple Syrup. (Limited supply, going fast!)
“Over the past few months, I’ve come to believe that one of the great challenges for organizations and leaders, and maybe just people, is sparking a powerful sense of optimism again.”
That’s Cathann A. Kress, Ohio State’s vice president for agricultural administration and dean of CFAES, speaking in an end-of-year message to all of us—to CFAES’ students, staff, faculty, supporters, and friends.
There is a sense of optimism in CFAES, even in the face of this devastating pandemic, and it comes from working together, seeking solutions, serving others, and sustaining life.
You can watch her full message above (2:04).
Here’s a pro tip: If you’re planning to decorate and later plant a live balled-and-burlapped Christmas tree, dig the hole ahead of time before the ground freezes hard. That means, in Ohio, you can do that as soon as right now.
Another option: Make a pile of leaves or straw in the spot where you want to plant your tree. Doing that can keep the ground from freezing—and the hole from filling with water—before you plant.
Want more pro tips? Watch this video by Paul Snyder of CFAES’ Secrest Arboretum. It’s an easy-to-follow 10-minute how-to on what to do.
Continue reading O-H, tannenbaum! CFAES expert shows you how to plant your own live Christmas tree
Wicked Leeks (UK), Dec. 4; featuring Rattan Lal, School of Environment and Natural Resources
Farm and Dairy, Nov. 28; featuring Linda Saif, Food Animal Health Research Program
Farm and Dairy, Nov. 26; featuring Zoe Plakias, Department of Agricultural, Environmental, and Development Economics
Today, on World Soil Day, CFAES celebrates the essential role of soil in sustaining life.
And we use this day to share exciting news. CFAES’ Rattan Lal Carbon Management and Sequestration Center and the Inter-American Institute for Cooperation on Agriculture are teaming up to launch the new “Living Soils of the Americas” initiative. Its goals: Fight the degradation of soil, improve people’s food security.
What’s the best we can do for the soil? Take care of it. Protect it. Make it healthier.
In Africa, CFAES researcher Richard Dick discovered a shrub that does just that—and in doing so, gives hope for greater food security. Read the story.
Please join us tomorrow for a celebration of World Soil Day.
“Restoring soil health,” CFAES soil scientist Rattan Lal says, “is essential to restoring human health.”
As 2020 World Food Prize laureate, he knows that solving our biggest challenges starts beneath our feet.
For farmers, managing their soil well means giving exactly what it needs. No more, no less.
Now they have updated guidelines to do that from CFAES researcher Steve Culman and team.
The guidelines’ goal is healthy soil — and healthy crops and water too.
WOSU, Nov. 30; featuring Brent Sohngen, Department of Agricultural, Environmental, and Development Economics
CBS Sunday Morning, Nov. 29; featuring Stan Gehrt, School of Environment and Natural Resources
Columbus Dispatch, Nov. 26