When it comes to purchasing a natural Christmas tree to decorate your home, you may know that your choice will help protect the environment. But you probably didn't know the fascinating story about how it finally got to your living room to be decorated with your beautiful ornaments.Here's the story of your natural Christmas tree.
Where does the Christmas tree begin?
The choice of seeds that will be used to grow trees is the first of a series of steps. Most of the time, the growers harvest them in seed orchards with trees specially selected for their qualities. The birth of a Christmas tree occurs when the seeds are sown in seedlings. They will remain there for two years and then be replanted in flowerbeds where they grow for another three to five years. (Our trees are grown with transplants from Quebec nurseries renowned for their outstanding quality.)
Several years later...
Having been nurtured for up to five years, the transplants have now reached a height of between 30 and 40 centimetres. At last they have the strength, structure and resistance to be planted in our fields.
However, the production of Christmas trees does not stop there! We have to provide care to these trees throughout the year. By giving them all the love, attention and grooming they need, we ensure the health of our firs. In particular, we manually trim them regularly so that they retain a perfect conical form. Shearing begins when the tree reaches a height of three to four feet and continues every year in July when new shoots begin to recover.
As you can imagine, ptience is the name of the game. The trees will require eight to ten years before reaching the desired height. There are several factors that influencea tree's growth, including climate, soil, crop, humidity and different hardiness zones.
Trees and the environment
Did you know that by choosing a natural Christmas tree instead of an artificial one, you are reducing your environmental impact? It's true! During the years it takes to reach maturity, your natural tree absorbed CO2 and converted it into oxygen. With more than one million trees in our nursery, we're taking a tremendous amount of carbon out of the atmosphere. And not only that, once the holiday season has passed, your tree is biodegradable : you can compost it and it will decompose naturally. That's one more way in which you're helping our environment.
The harvest
After almost a decade of care, the tree is finally ready to be harvested! First, trees are selected, identified and labeled according to their height, category and species. Then they are cut, bundled with twine and prepared for shipping.
The harvesting of Christmas trees begins in early to mid-November when the trees begin their winter dormancy. Generally, tree cutting continues for three weeks.
The delivery
Once the harvest is over, it's time for delivery! All we ask you to do is preorder your Christmas tree directly on our website and choose a delivery date. Three days before delivery, we confirm all the details, including your delivery time. When the day arrives, our team of nutcrackers comes to your door to deliver and install your tree. All that's left to you is to start decorating!
Here's to a wonderful stress-free holiday season... Merry Christmas! HoHoHo
