California Ag Network

Tag: Christmas

  • Helping Hams Provides 250 Hams To Local Charities

    Fresno, Calif., (December 19, 2017) – Ten local organizations will receive 250 hams to share with families in need this holiday season as part of Fresno State’s fifth annual Helping Hams campaign.

    The organizations will pick up hams at 10:15 a.m. Friday, Dec. 15, at the Rue and Gwen Gibson Farm Market (5368 N. Chestnut Ave.) with assistance from Associated Students, Inc., the Fresno State Meats Lab and farm market student workers.

    The campaign ran Nov. 13 through Dec. 4 and raised $7,795, surpassing its goal of $7,500 to purchase 250 hams. The additional $295 raised will be allocated to the Fresno State Student Cupboard.

    The largest contribution was a $3,500 donation from RCO Ag Credit, Inc., an agriculture finance company based in Fresno. The organization contributed the same amount in both 2016 and 2015 and was also a primary supporter the previous two years.

    “Supporting the Helping Hams campaign is a meaningful way to help feed hungry families during the holiday season,” said Mitchell Metzler, president and CEO of RCO Ag Credit, Inc. “We are proud to see the growing momentum of this campaign and are especially encouraged with the increased support of Fresno State students and others in the community.”

    Campus-related organizations receiving hams include the Bulldog Pantry, College Assistance Migrant Program, Student Cupboard and the TRiO Student Support Services and Student Support Services Veterans Program.

    Other local agencies included in Friday’s pick up include the El Dorado Park Community Development Corporation, Fresno County Perinatal Wellness Center, Stone Soup Fresno, Tarpey Elementary School Parent Teacher Club, The Way Ministries and Wesley United Methodist Church Food Pantry.

    The organizations were selected by an Associated Students, Inc. ad hoc committee based on their connections to Fresno State, client population served and overall need expressed in their applications.

    Each distributing organization has already identified families and projects to receive hams.

    The Gibson Farm Market has sold out of holiday hams, but customers can still purchase Fresno State holiday baskets and winter-themed products such as peppermint and mint almonds and bark, pretzels and ice cream.

    The Gibson Farm Market will maintain its normal hours through Saturday, Dec. 23 (9 a.m. to 6 p.m. Monday through Friday; 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday; 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Sunday). The market will be closed for the holidays from Dec. 24 to Jan. 1 and will resume normal hours on Tuesday, Jan. 2.

    For more information about the campaign, contact Ashleigh Rocker Green, Associated Students, Inc. program and volunteer coordinator, at 559.278.7703 or arocker@csufresno.edu. For more information on the Gibson Farm Market, contact 559.278.4511.

  • The Smart Harvest of Christmas Trees Leads to a Healthier Forest

    Parlier, Calif., (December 13, 2017) – Most California forests have too many trees, so carefully selecting pines, cedars or firs in natural areas to enjoy for the Christmas season is good for the mountain landscape.

    After 100 years of fire suppression, most California forests – like this one in the Stanislaus National Forest – have too many trees. (Photo: USDA)

    “It’s a great idea to cut down young trees for fire safety and vegetation management,” said Susie Kocher, UC Cooperative Extension forestryadvisor in the Central Sierra. “The earlier you do it, the less work it is to manage the trees in the long run.”

    Kocher lives and works in Lake Tahoe. Every year, she gathers her family and friends to find forest-fresh Christmas trees in the Lake Tahoe Management Area. Of the 18 national forests in California, 11 allow Christmas tree cutting with the purchase of a $10 permit. (See the list below.) People who own mountain cabins or other forestland may invite family and friends to help thin trees on their personal property, which can then be used for the holiday season. However, never harvest trees on public or private property without permission.

    “We have a lot of small trees on public and private forest lands because of fire suppression,” Kocher said. “They’re all competing with one another and many will ultimately die. A smart harvest of Christmas trees can improve the forest by helping with thinning.”

    A group of friends and family gather in the forest to harvest Christmas trees. (Photo: Yolanda Tuckerman)

    People with permits to cut down Christmas trees in national forests must follow strict guidelines. Follow the same guidelines on private land to ensure a smart harvest. Before chopping down the tree, be sure it is within 10 feet of another living tree, the trunk is no more than 6 inches in diameter and the stump left behind is no higher than 6 inches off the ground. Some national forests limit the harvest to certain tree species.

    Despite committing to these guidelines when obtaining a permit, Kocher said she has seen some Christmas tree harvesters make ill-advised choices.

    “Some people are too lazy to find a good tree and will cut the top off a large tree,” Kocher said. “You can be driving around and see what looks like a poor old Dr. Suess tree, which is what grows from the ugly remnant left behind in the forest.”

    A child with a Christmas tree selected from the forest. (Photo: USDA)

    Such irresponsible Christmas tree cutting has led some forests to discontinue Christmas tree harvesting for personal use.

    There has been ongoing debate about whether a fake tree or real tree is more environmentally friendly, but for Kocher, there is no question.

    “Fresh real trees are a renewable resource, fake trees are not,” she said. “It’s an agricultural product. You can contribute to a local farmers’ income or you can help thin the forest. Picking and bringing home a fresh tree, decorating it and smelling it defines the season for me. Without it, I don’t think it would feel like Christmas.”

    U.S. National Forests in California that allow Christmas tree cutting with a permit are:

    Purchasing real Christmas trees from tree lots in town or at choose-and-cut tree farms is a way to support farms and economies in rural areas and contribute to environmental sustainability.

  • ‘Real’ Christmas Trees Support Farmers and the Environment

    Hilmar, Calif., (December 12, 2017) – Most real Christmas trees sold in California are raised on farms, creating jobs and boosting the economies in rural areas.

    Visiting choose-and-cut Christmas tree farms is a fun family tradition that supports farmers, local economies and the environment. (Photo: USDA)

    That’s just one reason UC Cooperative Extension advisor Lynn Wunderlich encourages the use of fresh-cut Christmas trees during the holiday season.

    “This is an age-old debate,” Wunderlich said. The American Christmas Tree Association says that PVC used in artificial trees is recyclable. If a household decorates with the same artificial tree for at least four years, the carbon footprint will be smaller than that of a household that purchases a real tree every year.

    But the impact goes deeper. Wunderlich points out that artificial trees are mainly made in Asia. They have to travel a great distance to the U.S. compared to an American-farmed tree, eating up natural resources during transport. “Buy American,” Wunderlich says.

    Besides, there are the transcendent benefits of real Christmas trees. Farmed trees provide open space and wildlife habitat during the off-season, and fill the home with a natural pine scent during holidays.

    Their role in sequestering carbon is aided by a production practice used by many farmers, called “stump culture.”

    “They use the same root system to regrow another tree, so the trees are regenerated,” Wunderlich said. “Trees are replanted regularly in other farming culture. Christmas trees sequester carbon. Nearly a ton of carbon per acre of trees, depending on species and number of trees planted on the land.”

    While artificial trees end up landfills or energy-intense recycling plants, live trees are biodegradable. They can be naturally recycled by composting or shredded to use as mulch. Many communities offer curb-side pickup in the days after Christmas.

    While farmed trees can be purchased on tree lots, home improvement stores, even grocery and drug stores, Wunderlich says a trip to a choose-and-cut tree farm is an enchanting family outing. Many Christmas tree farmers also provide food, crafts, activities and visits with Santa.

    “Families can visit the farmer year after year as their children grow, so that’s part of the experience,” Wunderlich said.

    Resources:

    The California Christmas Tree Association maintains a directory of choose-and-cut Christmas tree farms around state.

    Some National Forests allow Christmas tree cutting with a permit. Read more here.