A Trip to Whitetop

A photograph of residents visiting a private tree farm in Grayson County Virginia, where integrated pest management has been practiced.

I wish you could have been there on Friday for our tour of a healthy and sustainable Christmas tree farm. Preserve Grayson and the public were invited by Rodney Richardson, past president of the Mount Rogers Area Christmas Tree Growers Association. We were extremely grateful for this opportunity to better understand the nuts and bolts of this industry that has sustained this community for generations.

Mr. Richardson arranged a hayride, and it couldn’t have been a more beautiful day to enjoy the mountain views and the fall colors! He has built his farms from scratch over his entire lifetime, and, like most family farmers in this area, wants more than anything to be able to leave healthy land to his children. Some of the things we learned about sustainable Christmas tree farming:

1. Beneficial wild plants are allowed to grow between the trees, plants that in another situation might be considered weeds. This provides many benefits:

• Keeping the tree roots cool.

• Supporting beneficial insects, the predators that keep harmful insects in check.

• Providing wildlife habitat and supporting biodiversity.

• Minimizing the need for fertilizer by planting clover, which has nitrogen-fixing properties.

• Keeping the soil loose by allowing Queen Anne’s lace, redbud, and other plants to grow.

• Providing for our migrating Monarch butterflies by encouraging milkweed to grow.

• Instead of spraying to kill these beneficial plants, an extremely dilute herbicide is sometimes used to trim their tops. This is called IPM, or Integrated Pest Management, the practice of using the most minimal dose of pesticide possible.

2. Trees are patrolled for insect problems and sprayed individually if necessary.

3. The ideal spacing for the trees is three to six feet apart, allowing for mowing if necessary.

4. There is an orchard, maintained entirely by volunteers, where Fraser firs are raised for seed. Detailed records are kept as to the origin of the seeds, guaranteeing biodiversity in the seedlings. This orchard is a lifetime calling for the handful of volunteers who staff it, preserving the increasingly endangered Fraser fir species.

5. Small tree farmers are always looking for new research, learning better ways of doing things that protect the land and wildlife.

6. Buffers are a must! All streams are protected by a buffer zone of natural vegetation. So far, in our stream monitoring program, we at Preserve Grayson have found that this is absolutely the best way to guarantee healthy water quality.

We have learned that certain individuals (and their children) have been harassed for their involvement with the Christmas tree industry. While we believe that indiscriminate use of pesticides, particularly aerial spraying, is definitely harming this community, we support responsible farming and good neighbors who follow best practices like IPM. We are absolutely opposed to harassment in any form.

What kind of community do we want to live in? As for us, it is a community where differences are not just tolerated but respected, where each and every individual takes responsibility for leaving this beautiful place better for our children. I think one thing that we all can agree on is that farming is the backbone of human life on this earth, and that farming sustainably is a necessity for supporting future generations.

-- Bepe Kafka