Tree farms are privately owned forests that grow trees for selling wood, while also providing benefits like wildlife habitat and water quality. They offer a sustainable source of wood and can reduce deforestation. Christmas tree farms are popular, but other types exist for paper and lumber. Tree farmers can get certified for sustainable practices through organizations like the America Tree Farm System.
A tree farm is a privately owned forest where trees are grown for the purpose of selling the wood. Tree farms can also provide other benefits such as maintaining wildlife, water quality, and landscaping. The trees on these farms can offer a sustainable source of wood, meaning the farm owner’s practices will help preserve the forests so that future generations can continue to use them. Many times, a tree farm will have trees in different stages of development, allowing the owner to harvest them year after year. Having an area where trees can be harvested each year can also reduce deforestation worldwide.
Perhaps the most popular type of tree farm is a Christmas tree farm. Some of these farms allow visitors to enter the property, pick a tree and cut it or have someone cut it. The company may also have different types of activities to participate in, such as horse-drawn carriage rides. Christmas tree farms, however, aren’t the only type of tree farm that exists. Other farms may supply wood for paper, lumber and other wood products.
It is beneficial for tree farm owners to take good care of their trees. Ensuring their trees are healthy and strong, as well as ensuring there are trees available for harvesting in the future, will help them get and keep customers for their crop. A tree farm can also help wildlife by giving them somewhere to live. Certification may also be available to tree growers who grow and harvest trees sustainably. To get certified, a farmer will need to meet certain criteria set by the certification agency.
To become certified, a tree farm may need to bring in a certified third party and perform an audit to ensure the organization’s guidelines are being followed. A tree farmer in the United States can get certified through the America Tree Farm System (ATFS). In 2008, the ATFS was approved by the Forest Certification Approval Program (PEFC). PEFC is one of the largest international certification organizations for sustainable harvesting of trees in the world. Consumers can apply for PEFC certification to ensure that the wood they are buying has been harvested from a sustainable source.
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