Selecting an actual Christmas tree is a cherished custom in lots of households and a confirmed environmentally pleasant alternative. However like all agriculture sectors, Canadian Christmas tree farmers are going through the impacts of local weather change on their rising operations.
Pests plague each the bushes and farmers who work the land. Rising temperatures have an effect on summer season labour circumstances, excessive storm occasions have triggered crop losses, and lowered snowfall in winter impacts households’ experiences when choosing and bringing residence their bushes in the course of the vacation season.
Assuaging these challenges is the rationale why the College of Waterloo’s Christmas Tree Lab was based. Established in 2022, the lab is the primary of its variety in Canada to conduct analysis on sustainability, local weather change indicators and adaptive capability in Christmas tree cultivation.
“Christmas tree farming is a large industry in Canada, with 418 Christmas tree farms in Ontario alone” says Dr. Kelsey Leonard, professor within the School of Setting and director of the lab. “In countries like the United States, there are research extension programs that support the farmers in making advances to address industry science priorities from pest management to soil amendments. The creation of this lab is one step in providing Canadian farmers with similar support.”
Earlier this 12 months, the lab and the Christmas Tree Farmers of Ontario (CTFO) formalized their rising partnership. Their objective is to decide to joint analysis tasks and outreach efforts geared toward creating sustainable initiatives to advance the resilience and development of the Christmas tree business.
Joint actions are properly underway. The analysis workforce has already began documenting the experiences of Christmas tree farmers, and their findings have a number of sensible functions. They’re designing an ecological calendar for southern Ontario Christmas bushes and beginning Christmas tree recycling packages with extra companions like conservation authorities.
“It’s exciting to have an Ontario university involved in Christmas tree farming research that’s specific to climate change,” says Alison McCrindle, vice-president on the CTFO’s board of administrators.
“Going forward, the research will not only improve our industry, but will affect all sectors of agriculture,” says Shirley Brennan, CTFO’s government director.
From left to proper are college students Sophia Armstrong, Jess Wong, and Alison Clarke on the Conservation Halton stream restoration occasion on August 1, 2024 at Grindstone Creek. They put in recycled Christmas bushes into the stream for sediment seize. The aim of this exercise is to construct up and restore the financial institution of the stream to enhance its move. The bushes are staked down with wood posts and tied with string to make sure they keep there lengthy sufficient to begin to accumulate the sediment to additional maintain them in place.
The brand new partnership with the lab and CTFO is the most recent in Waterloo’s efforts to reply to the local weather disaster with purpose-driven analysis and know-how. For the previous 50 years, the College has been a frontrunner in sustainability analysis and schooling, and the School of Setting has been a catalyst for environmental innovation, options and expertise.
“By understanding farmers challenges and triumphs, we aim to develop practical solutions that will contribute to the resilience and sustainability of this unique industry” Leonard says.
Photograph credit score: Cedar Hill Christmas Tree Farm
ChatGPT-4 used to generate a Christmas themed title.
