The Coalition of Environmentally Conscious Growers offers tips for maintaining an eco-friendly garden! What you do in your garden is very similar to what Coalition members do on thousands of acres, containing millions of trees.

Coalition Tips:

1. Plant indigenous species that will easily thrive in your climate
2. Use all-natural compost made from vegetable scraps rather than fertilizer
3. Harvest rainwater to capture mineral- and chlorine-free water for watering
4. Plant herbs and flowers to attract helpful insects such as bees and butterflies
5. Feed the birds! Birds keep harmful insects at bay
6. Invest in plants that animals prefer not to eat as to limit the use of chemical deterrents
7. Don’t use herbicides and pesticides
8. Plant plenty of wildflowers to help prevent erosion

Happy Gardening!!!

         The Coalition of Environmentally Conscious Growers, a 501-C (6) was founded by two Oregon farms in August 2007.  Its mission is to certify that the live Christmas trees grown by its members have been and continue to be responsibly grown. Currently, there are four members of the organization, including the largest and fifth largest tree farms in the United States.

          Water and soil management, as well as fertilizer and pest management, are examined by a third-party certifying company that is an experienced agricultural organization.  In addition to being certified, members are interested in having their retail customers and the public-at-large further aware of live cut trees.  Therefore, a significant marketing campaign is conducted nationally which includes radio, television, print and internet media coverage, plus various sales tools such as point-of-purchase materials and hang tags are made available to members of the Coalition.

          Members say that their retail customers really like having the trees certified as “green” because the consumer is highly aware of the green movement in America.

          Since the introduction of fake Christmas trees in the United States, a stream of misinformation has been disseminated.  The Coalition addresses the marketing and awareness aspects of live cut Christmas trees and dispel the false claims through media.  Christmas trees are not deforesting the country.  Instead, they are grown as row crops, and for every tree that’s cut, another is planted.  The misinformation continues and the Coalition continues to bring the truth to light.

          The Coalition’s message is timely and aimed at increasing sales of live cut Christmas trees.  Certification, which is good for three years, costs two dollars an acre.  Membership annual fees are based on annual sales and range from $2,500 for 10,000 trees or less to $17,500 on sales of 75,000 to 100,000 trees and so on.

          There are 17,500 Christmas tree farms in the United States that would benefit greatly from joining the Coalition of Environmentally Conscious Growers.  

Riparian zone management is important not only for the security it provides against erosion, but also for the wildlife living in and around a Christmas tree farm. Riparian management is measured as one of the following: Basic, Intermediate or Advanced during the evaluation.

Points considered are:
Riparian Buffer Zone
Evidence of Stream Channel Modification
Presences/Diversity of Riparian Vegetation
Stream Crossings Visual inspection
Riparian Inventory
Evidence of Sediment