By Sara Santiago
The first snowflakes have fallen. The water has been turned off at camp. The temperatures rise and dip and so does the sun as deadlines approach for final papers and exams. Foresters scope out the Christmas tree field in plans for a harvest. It’s December at The Forest School at the Yale School of the Environment.
In what is a beloved tradition, the annual Christmas tree harvest is back! Interrupted last year by the COVID-19 pandemic, student members of Yale Temperate Forestry could not hold the tree harvest and sale. However, they did organize DIY wreath making kits, which they donated to YSE students who remained in New Haven over an extended holiday break.
At the tree farm, students pull trees through the bailer – a job for at least two! – so that they can be transported to New Haven more easily. Photo by Eudora Miao ’22 MF.
Genevieve Tarino ’22 MF, who was in her first semester at the School at the time, volunteered in making those wreath kits. Because of that experience, she wanted to serve as this year’s Christmas tree farm manager. For Tarino, it has been an opportunity to spend more time in the field with her fellow foresters and partake in continuing the tradition.
In early December, around a dozen students flagged, harvested, and bailed trees at the tree farm at Yale-Myers Forest, as well as put together DIY wreath kits complete with mountain laurel branches. The wreath kits still serve the purpose of bringing as many folks into the experience as possible – even if it is from home – Tarino explained.
The trees chosen for harvest are measured and sold by the foot. Photo by Eudora Miao ’22 MF.
Colorado spruce, Norway spruce, and Fraser fir are some of the species that will be decked out in lights in local homes this winter. These trees are coming in all shapes and sizes. Walker Cammack ’22 MF had the idea of not only harvesting the well-formed trees but also selling “unique” trees – ones that grew too closely together, who have two stems vying as leader, or might be a little bald on one side – at a discounted price.
The harvest and sale are back to being a fundraiser to support SAF membership, convention attendance, and other events, as well as plans for a tractor to help maintain the field from year to year. Tarino hopes that the YTF harvest and event will be back to full swing at the forest next year.
