The Christmas tree which is the focal point of the festive season has had a very eventful nine or 10 years before reaching your living room.
It has contributed to the prevention of global warming by extracting CO2 from the atmosphere and storing the carbon over its lifetime while giving off oxygen that is required to breathe and function as human beings.
The tree you now look at will be recycled when Christmas is over and also a new sapling will be planted in its place on the farm, the circle of sustainability is now complete.
Your tree has also been part of a forest that has contributed enormously to the biodiversity value of the environment it came from which in our case was our farm in Ballinasloe.
Christmas trees provide shelter for wildlife such as song birds, pheasants, rabbits, hares, voles and mice. Wildflowers and weeds provide a great source of food particularly for the pollinators. When the dandelions are growing in the summer time there is a constant buzz of bee activity.
This summer on the Christmas tree farm there was an outbreak of black aphid. They feed on the trees in their thousands but don’t cause much damage.
However, the bumble bees and ladybirds love them. Working along side the bumble bees and ladybirds as they control the black aphids on the trees is the closest thing you will get to man and nature working in harmony.
In the peak of summer there is an abundance of dandelions, clover, speedwell, goosegrass and fireweed which act as hosts to the many insects seeking food and shelter. Underneath the surface worms and shredding insects are busy breaking down the vegetation and improving the soil structure and drainage.
So, by purchasing a real tree you play a huge part in the biodiversity goals of our country because you encourage people like us to plant tree farms which continue the great story of of climate change reversal and the expansion of our biodiversity habitats which are under threat from different enterprises.
“We would like to thank everyone who bought a Christmas tree on our farm this year, we really appreciate it.
“If you didn’t get an opportunity to visit our farm in 2020 why not give us a call coming up to Christmas 2021 and if you feel like putting a real tree at the heart of your home we would be delighted of the opportunity to supply you with it.
“You can contact us on http://www.buyirishchristmastrees.com or call me on 0862532320,” proprietor, Tom Costello, remarked
