Hollies provide excellent shelter for many species. Junipers and Eastern red cedars are particularly attractive to cedar waxwings, purple finches and Eastern mockingbirds. Evergreens can also help people reduce heating costs. Placed strategically around buildings, evergreen trees conserve energy by serving as a windbreak when other trees are bare. They also help to muffle sounds and reduce the noise pollution reaching a home during the winter.
Evergreens are good for the soul, too.
We chase away the dreary winter doldrums by using wreaths, pine roping and Christmas trees to deck our halls, homes, schools, streets and malls. Christmas trees are grown commercially in all 50 states. Approximately 15,000 growers employ more than 100,000 people. Ninety percent of all Christmas trees are grown on tree farms covering an area of about 1 million acres. An acre of live Christmas trees produces enough oxygen for 18 people every day.