Christmas is a time of giving and a time of renewal—so cutting down thousands of pine trees across the land, dragging them indoors for a couple of weeks, then discarding them rather goes against the grain.
Christmas is a time of giving and a time of renewal—so cutting down thousands of pine trees across the land, dragging them indoors for a couple of weeks, then discarding them rather goes against the grain
Photo: Flickr
Aside from the sheer wastefulness of felling trees for Christmas, the longer we indulge in it the more we promote an environmentally damaging monoculture. You see, pine trees tend to acidify soils, causing nutrient enrichment in waterways that can result in algal blooms. Not much grows in amongst pine plantations so there are few, if any, ecological benefits.
A fake Christmas tree means one less pine needs to be grown and then harvested. Then again, a fake tree has its own carbon footprint—usually leading overseas and involving the use of PVC, polyurethane, foam and steel. These materials may be long-lasting, but are hardly recyclable.
If this all seems unpalatable, or you just feel like a break with tradition, then why not go native? There are many native trees and shrubs that you can bring indoors as living specimens for a few days over Christmas, decorate them and pile presents beneath, before taking them back outdoors to live on for further years.
An obvious choice would be the pohutukawa, or New Zealand Christmas tree (Metrosideros excelsa), complete with its own seasonal decoration in the form of its iconic deep red flowers. You can buy these in an affordable range of sizes and grow them as potted plants for several years before they require planting in the ground.
Pohutukawa can grow thoughout the country in generally frost-free areas, which usually means coastal. Ideally you should source environmentally appropriate mainland varieties, which will have the correct characteristics for your area. This is known in the horticultural world as ‘eco-sourcing’. In cooler areas the native conifer kawaka (Libocedrus plumosa) would be a good choice—but these are only two of the many suitable native trees that could make a happy focus for your festivities this Christmas.
