There are no sightings yet of a big man in red, but there's definitely a North Pole vibe in Duke Forest this year.
The Duke Forestry Christmas Tree Farm, initiated this year by three Master of Forestry students in the Nicholas School of the Environment, is already bearing gifts.
The three-acre tree farm, which the students eventually hope to have certified as organic, will sell Christmas trees to the public on Dec. 6. The students intend to raise money for the farm and the student chapter of the Society of American Foresters while gaining some management experience and promoting sustainability within Durham.
They got the idea from a similar program at Yale University, according to Jesse Leddick, one of the students who organized the farm project.
"Doing this with organic practices is more environmental and sustainable," Leddick said. "We also wanted to increase the Nicholas School's presence in the community. The farm is a nice way of doing that while educating people about how you can farm in a better way."
North Carolina is the country's second-largest Christmas tree supplier, harvesting about 5.5 million trees a year, second only to Oregon's 7.5 million. However, organic tree farms are rare in this state, according to the North Carolina Christmas Tree Association.
Of course, a forest can't be created overnight, so for the first several years the trees that students sell will come from other North Carolina farms. Along with these Fraser firs grown with minimum pesticide use, students will also sell homemade wreaths. Trees between 5 feet and 10 feet tall will cost $40 to $140, and wreaths are $30.
In late December, students will plant the farm's first cohort of Leyland cypress, Arizona cypress and Eastern red cedar. Those trees should be ready for harvest within five years. But in only a year or two, Leddick said, the farm will produce tabletop-sized red cedars shaped like Christmas trees that shoppers can buy and plant after use.
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N.C. Christmas Trees and Homemade Wreaths Sale 9 p.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday, Dec. 6 Duke Forest Maintenance Shop, Lemur Lane, near the intersection of NC 751 and Erwin Rd. Information: Jesse Leddick (410) 980-1182, jesse.leddick@duke.edu