The Elks Christmas Tree Lot
Annually in December
CARLSONS BUILDING MATERIALS has again
made a part of their street front property available to us on
Thousand Oaks Boulevard. Please be sure to patronize this
valued sponsor whenever possible.
Last year the Christmas Tree Lot would not have been possible without
the generosity of our members and Carlson’s Building
Materials, located on Thousand Oaks Blvd., near Erbes
Road. We would like to thank them for allowing us to use their facility raising monies for
our various charities including scouts, veterans, scholarship.
Background and Benefits of a real Christmas Tree:
For decades, American Forests has encouraged the commercial growing of Christmas trees and the use and planting of living trees. The gift of a living National Christmas Tree was American Forests’ way of urging the use of living Christmas trees as a conservation measure. Before the Christmas tree industry, people cut trees from the wild, sometimes illegally, and always with little consideration for the continuance of the forest.
It takes a Christmas tree an average of five to 16 years to grow, and as they grow, Christmas trees support life by absorbing carbon dioxide and other gases while giving off fresh oxygen. Every acre of Christmas trees planted gives off enough oxygen to meet the needs of 18 people. Today in America there are enough Christmas trees planted that 18 million people a day are supplied with oxygen. Also, the farms that grow Christmas trees stabilize soil, protect water supplies, and provide a refuge for wildlife while creating a scenic view. Often, Christmas trees are grown on soil that will not support any other crops. In addition, according to the National Christmas Tree Association, when one Christmas tree is cut down, one or two are planted in its place—an average of 56 million trees each year
Thousand Oaks Elks Lodge helps the Conejo Valley continue to produce clean air and stay "Green".
Although some people claim that an artificial tree last a lifetime, most are thrown away within nine years - and remain in landfill sites being made of non-renewable plastics and petroleum-based products.
Additional environmental benefits of real Christmas trees:
- They're recyclable. After the holidays, trees are chipped into biodegradable mulch, which can be used for playgrounds, gardens, hiking trails and animal stalls. Whole trees are also used on beaches to prevent shore erosion, and in lakes, streams and ponds to provide hiding spots and feeding areas for fish.
- They grow back. North American forests cover about the same area of land as they did 100 years ago and, in the last decade, have actually expanded by nearly 10 million acres.
