Exchange your Christmas cards for a tree!

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Casualty actor Colin Wells is backing the Woodland Trust’s 2010 Christmas Card Recycling Scheme.

His plea is simple: "Take your Christmas cards to the special recycling bins in Marks & Spencer, WH Smith and TK Maxx
How it works

We’ll recycle your cards and plant trees, with your help we’re aiming for 12,000 trees!
Go to www.woodlandtrust.org.uk/ and you can vote on where you want the trees planted!

While you are out there with your Christmas cards there are schemes which use old Christmas trees~ real not fake!~ to combat beach erosion~ I saw it on Countryfile I think but here is some info:-
~ you m ay need to go online to see where and if this being done in your area~

About Our Trees

Christmas trees begin their life in a nursery. Here, seeds are taken from cones of mature trees, planted and covered with straw.

They are also covered with a shade cloth to prevent them from being damaged by frost or sun. After three years, the seedlings, are ready to be moved to the line-out beds for further growth.

Line-out beds allow the seedlings to grow without competition from larger trees. With all the trees being relatively the same size, they have an equal opportunity for sunlight and water. The seedlings will stay in the line-out bed for two years or until they are strong enough to be transplanted into the field.

During the seven to eight years the trees remain in the field, the grower, or Christmas tree farmer, will spend time and effort in shaping them. After the trees reach a height of three feet they are sheared for the first time.

During the shearing process, the top of the tree, or leader is cut back. By slowing the upward growth process, the tree will branch out more quickly. As the tree beings to branch out, the grower will trim the branches to shape the tree and give it a fuller appearance.

Growers also follow sound soil conservations practices, protecting soils from erosion and being careful not to deplete its nutrients.

At harvest time, growers identify finished trees by placing a ribbon on them. The ribbons are color coded with each height being assigned a different color. Often a whole field is not ready for sale in any one year. It often takes two to four years before a field is cleared and ready for new trees to be planted.

The tagged trees are cut and then bundled during a process called baling. During the baling process, the trees are placed in a machine that ties them in twine so that they are easier to ship. After being baled, the trees are taken to the loading yard where they are placed on trucks and shipped.

Producing the best tree for your family that nature and nurture can provide takes much time and effort. It can take anywhere from twelve to fifteen years for a tree to be ready to harvest. Yet, Christmas tree growers agree that this long hard job is worth it when their trees become the decorative centerpiece of your home during the holiday season.

Did you ever think that by using a live Christmas tree in your house that you were actually helping the environment? Real trees help the environment from the time they are planted until after Christmas when they can be recycled.

While they are growing, Christmas trees support life by absorbing carbon dioxide and other gases while giving off fresh oxygen. Every acre of Christmas trees planted gives off enough oxygen to meet the needs of 18 people.

Also, the farms that grow Christmas trees stabilize soil, protect water supplies, and provide a refuge for wildlife while creating a nice scenic view. Often, Christmas trees are grown on soil that will not support any other crops. And when one Christmas tree is cut down two are replanted in its place.

Artificial trees are made from oil-based products that use up our natural resources. They are also not recyclable and will remain in land-fills for centuries after disposal.

Real Christmas trees, on the other hand, are recyclable. The branches and trunk are biodegradable and can be made into mulch for the garden. Large quantities of trees make effective barriers on beaches to prevent soil erosion. Sunk into ponds, the trees will also make an excellent refuge and feeding area for fish.

• 5 Jan, 2010
• 12 likes

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