EcoHearth: Come Home to the Earth

Hanging a wreath on the front door is as much a Christmas tradition for some families as a Christmas ham, a Christmas tree and watching A Christmas Story. But where do the wreaths come from? Who makes them? Are they sustainably harvested? How can you buy one that you know is ecologically sound? Here's what you need to know.

They are made in many localities, but the quintessential wreath (as well as table centerpieces and a wide variety of seasonal balsam products) is the balsam fir wreath from the northeast US and eastern Canada. Let's take a look at how wreaths get from the forest to your door, and their impact on both people and the environment.

Every November in Maine, thousands of people, from teens to retirees and everyone in between who can use a few bucks (and that's a lot of people in this economically depressed state), fan out to their secret spots to collect balsam fir twigs, or tips. Smart “tippers,” as they're known, always leave enough of the twig to allow it to regrow so they can come back every year to the same area. After a few years, the only result of sound wreath tipping is a slightly bushier forest, which offers more tips within reach of the tipper.

These freelance tippers then either make their own wreaths for sale, or they sell the tips to a larger wreath-making operation. The bigger wreath companies employ another temporary army of people to make wreaths for them. These folks, many of whom are not physically able to venture into the forest after tips, are paid by the wreathes they create, rather than by the hour, so they are free to work as fast or slow as suits them.

Wreaths are then sold to the public, either locally or by mail order. LL Bean is by far the largest retailer of balsam wreaths, but there are many other online and mail-order sources.

For both the tippers and wreath makers, this seasonal work can be a vital piece of their annual economic puzzle. Many people in eastern Maine, especially near the coast, cobble together a whole series of small, independent, seasonal ventures to make a living, including digging clams, picking wrinkles (small snails that are mostly sold to the Asian food market), raking blueberries (a large source of annual income for many hard-working Mainers), along with construction or any other odd jobs they can find along the way.

Shipping a wreath across the country to hang on your door for a few weeks, of course, contributes to your carbon footprint, but if you're going to get one anyway, try to find one from a source that you know treats the forests well and provides economic benefits to its local community.

In Part 2, I'll examine three environmentally conscious options for ordering a balsam wreath online.

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