For the past couple of years I have been whining about wanting to get a live (meaning with roots still attached) Christmas tree, because I thought it was be better for the environment, and blah blah blah.
Well, I just read an article (in Sierra Magazine) that might have me changing my mind about all of that.
It seems that a certain kind of pine, (specifically the Fraser Fir that has become the tree of choice in the White House), is a common carrier of a mold called Phytophthora cinnamomi, which has decimated flora around the globe.
It's originally form Papua New Guinea, was brought to the US a couple hundred years ago, and destroyed large numbers of chestnut trees and in recent years has killed manzanita trees here in California, and (gasp!) is the main limiting factor in avocado production worldwide.
And it seems that at least in some places, the spread of cinnamomi is due to the planting of infected Christmas trees! Noooooooooo!
But it's true. So apparently we should all use caution when planting our Christmas trees, checking them for mold spores before hand. Especially, they say, if it's a Farser, balsam, or noble fir. Just FYI.
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