Green is the new black this Friday

Jessica Macfarlane

Multimedia intern, Executive Office of Energy and Environmental Affairs (EEA)

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On Friday, November 25, 2011, the Department of Agricultural Resources (DAR) Commissioner Scott J. Soares celebrated the kick-off of the annual Christmas tree cutting and harvesting season at Ioka Valley Farm in Hancock.  It’s an annual outdoor tradition that is fun for families and friends who want to support the more than 200 local Christmas tree farmers and our local economy.

Commissioner Soares told me that going out to a local Christmas tree farm to harvest his own tree is one of his favorite traditions and that he’d like to rename Black Friday to Green Friday in honor of the annual tree cutting ceremony.

Check out the photos from the tree cutting ceremony Commissioner Soares participated in on Friday!

 Christmas tree farm trees are an environmentally friendly and sustainable option, especially if they are recycled after their use. Tree farm trees are a crop, and are continually replenished. For every Christmas tree that is harvested, one to three seedlings are planted. Nearly 98 percent of all Christmas trees are grown on farms, thus limiting negative impacts on forests. Varieties of trees sold in Massachusetts include Balsam, Concolor, Fraser, Noble Fir and Scotch and White Pine trees.

“Buying a real Christmas tree from your local grower keeps open space and money local, as well as reducing our carbon footprint. It also provides animal habitat, prevents soil erosion and beautifies the landscape. Christmas trees are recyclable, bio-degradable and make ‘scents’,” said Melissa Leab of Ioka Valley Farm.

Tree recycling information:

• For Boston residents
• For all cities/towns