Christmas trees can boost incomes and provide needed diversification in northern New Mexico. However, they present some challenges for small-scale producers with limited incomes. But we are finding more and more people starting to put in Christmas trees along fencerows and in small blocks. It once took 12 to 15 years to grow a white fir. They've trimmed growth time to seven to nine years.
Producers can manage their land for tree production and use harvests to improve the forest's health.
When an area is way too dense and needs to be thinned out, this is one way to do it. Dense stands can create a fire hazard and weaken trees, making them susceptible to pests like dwarf mistletoe, which saps strength from many of the state's Ponderosa pine stands, he said. Harrington works with local landowners like the Bartley family, who own 4,000 acres in western Mora County's Gascon Canyon. Each year they harvest about 500 Christmas trees as part of a diversified ranching and timber operation. We also are very concerned about fire because we've seen some terrible ones in this area, and we know that by thinning we can prevent some of the very hot fires.