Ho! Ho! Ho! - Toxic Christmas Trees?

By Nate Seltenrich Courtesy of the Sierra Club

The Fraser fir is the ideal Christmas tree. Fragrant, strong-limbed and long-lasting when cut, it has found its way to the White House's Blue Room more than any other tree over the past 50 years. It is also a vector to the most destructive plant pathogen you've never heard of.

The shapely Fraser fir, a southern Appalachian native now farmed extensively in nurseries, is a common carrier - and victim - of Phytophthora cinnamomi, a deadly water mold wreaking havoc on ecosystems around the world. When infected Frasers are replanted, the disease gets an opportunity to spread to new farms and neighboring plant life.

Read the rest of the article in the Bandera County Courier

Buy Local, Buy Green: Holiday Greenery and Christmas Trees Should Come From Local Sources

Informed purchases and adherence to state and federal regulations can prevent spread of forest pests

ARLINGTON, Va., Dec. 8, 2011 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Buying freshly-cut evergreen trees and greenery to decorate during the holiday season is a time-honored and favorite tradition. Unfortunately, harmful non-native insects and diseases can hitchhike on these trees and branches, starting new infestations in communities that were previously pest-free. This has become such a serious problem that federal and state governments now regulate the movement of Christmas trees, holiday wreaths, and related material. Buying locally cut trees from established vendors is better for the economy and the environment.

More than 450 non-native forest insects are now established in the United States. Federal and state regulations require certain conditions be met in order to move Christmas trees and wreaths out of areas quarantined due to pest infestations. These regulations are aimed at stopping the spread of gypsy moth, pine shoot beetle, sudden oak death (a tree disease), and other forest pests, which can be transported on holiday plant material.

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First Report of Phytophthora ramorum Infecting California Red Fir in California

G. A. Chastagner and K. L. Riley, Department of Plant Pathology, Washington State University Research and Extension Center, Puyallup 98371

September 2010, Volume 94, Number 9
Page 1170
DOI: 10.1094/PDIS-94-9-1170B


Read the article in Plant Disease

First Report of Phytophthora ramorum Infecting Mistletoe in California

Riley, K. L., and Chastagner, G. A. 2011. First report of Phytophthora ramorum infecting mistletoe in California. Online. Plant Health Progress doi:10.1094/PHP-2011-0209-02-BR.

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California bans Curry County's Douglas Christmas trees

But Grand fir and Noble fir are ok?

Read the article here:
http://www.currypilot.com/20091128114288/News/Local-News/California-bans-Curry-Countys-Douglas-Christmas-trees