Their Trees Are Truly Green

Eco-Conscious Times Lead Some Growers to Shun Chemicals

You've traded in those old-fashioned filament lights for ecologically sound LED bulbs that use one-tenth of the electricity. You're decorating with fair-trade ornaments made from recycled materials.

But no matter how green your Christmas tree is, Michael Tabor swears it could be greener. That's why the veteran farmer is growing "eco-trees" with no herbicides or pesticides and selling them at the Adams Morgan Farmer's Market. His target audience? The eco-conscious holiday shopper, of course.

Tabor says his trees, grown on his 60-acre spread in Needmore, Pa., are as au naturel as the ones that grow in the wild. But don't call them "organic.'' Too politically loaded, thank you very much.

"We don't like to use the word organic,'' he said. "We use the word 'sustainable.' "

Tabor considers his trees sustainable because he does not use chemical fertilizers, pesticides or dyes, as some growers do, and because those that are cut down are replaced by seedlings. He sells his trees through word-of-mouth and on Saturdays in late November and December at the Farmer's Market.

Tabor is one of a handful of tree farmers in the region who have stopped using chemicals. Clover Hollow Christmas Tree Farm in Newport, Va., also offers "green" trees.

But some people, including folks at the National Christmas Tree Association, say it's hard to say which tree is the greenest -- the conventionally grown one or the one grown without chemical treatments. Rick Dungey, a spokesman for the association, said Christmas trees grown with chemicals aren't vastly different from those grown without.

Wade Butler of Butler's Orchard in Germantown, who grows trees using conventional methods, said herbicides are sprayed on the ground around the trees to get rid of weeds. When pesticides are applied to trees, it's done sparingly, to get rid of insects and worms.

"The idea that trees are coated in chemicals is just not accurate," he said.

Dungey said the association doesn't track members' farming methods, but he guesses that there are probably a handful of folks who've made the decision to use no herbicides or chemicals. Officials at the Maryland Department of Agriculture said they aren't aware of any green-tree trend in the state.

Butler said terms like sustainable and or organic might not be much more than clever marketing ploys, noting that his trees are already greener than their petroleum-based artificial counterparts, which will never break down naturally.

John Feezer, who runs Feezers Farm in Marriottsville in Howard County, doesn't mind the organic label. He decided to go herbicide-free about 10 years ago. He said his customers, from such places as Frederick County, the District and Takoma Park, began asking about his farming methods. Like any good businessman, he spotted a niche: greener trees = more green for him.

"It was a market-driven decision,'' he said.

Growing without herbicides and pesticides does mean more work. Tabor and Feezer say they probably mow twice as often as farmers who use herbicides, which of course raises the sticky question of whether the fumes emitted from a gas-powered mower offset the gains from not using fertilizers.

Feezer and Tabor say their methods also require more cooperation from Mother Nature. Drought years can spell trouble, because the aphids and the bagworms are a bit more aggressive. For whatever reason, in rainy years, the critters tend to do less harm to the trees, but then there are fungus issues.

Both men say the trees look about the same as conventionally grown counterparts. Tabor said some might look slightly less green and have a yellowish or slightly white cast -- so "green" trees aren't actually as green. But like those who learn to ignore the blemishes on their organic fruit, his customers understand the trade-off between perfect and natural.

Despite the added labor, the price of an eco-tree is about the same as a conventional one. Tabor's trees retail for $50 to $125. Those who prefer the Charlie Brown variety, which Tabor describes as "trees that are imperfect and have their own character," will pay $25. Dig your own up for $45. Those who feel guilty about cutting down a tree are welcome to return to the farm to plant a replacement. Feezer charges $30 to $70 for his trees.

Both men say that people who want to go green might have to wait until next year: Because it's the last weekend before Christmas, they're close to being sold out.