A forestry operation in Heatherdale, Prince Edward Island, is meeting increased demand for its Christmas wreaths by harvesting balsam fir tips from the province's Public Forests. Austin and Marjorie Tattrie of Tattrie's Wreaths and Garlands won a tender to harvest the balsam fir tips from two different properties in the Public Forests in the Valleyfield area, accounting for roughly two-thirds of their raw product requirements.
Last winter, the Tattries made a presentation to a meeting of the Public Forest Council requesting access to these forest lands to harvest balsam fir tips. The Department of Agriculture and Forestry established the Council in 2001 to increase awareness of the province's publicly-owned forest lands and to encourage community projects in areas of non-consumptive use and non-traditional product development.
The Tattries have been in the Christmas tree business for more than 20 years and today produce Christmas trees from 50 acres of plantation and an 80 acre woodlot. They export to the United States, Puerto Rico and most recently the Magdalen Islands.
"Since starting out producing wreaths on a small scale in 1990, the business has expanded significantly," said Marjory Tattrie. "With required amounts of balsam fir tips of up to one ton a week, we had to find additional sources of raw product, and access to the Public Forests will enable us to further expand our business."
Balsam fir is the most abundant softwood tree in Prince Edward Island, and harvesting the tips helps create employment and a unique value-added forest product for domestic and export markets. The harvest is monitored by the Department of Agriculture and Forestry to ensure the sustainable use of the resource.
Public Forests account for about 12 percent of the Island's forest land. The Public Forest Council is currently involved in numerous community partnerships involving non-timber wealth creation initiatives, such as the harvesting of ground hemlock. It is encouraging individuals and community groups to bring forward proposals to utilize the forests in a non-consumptive, sustainable manner.
Photo available at: http://www.gov.pe.ca/af/public_forest_council/wreath.php3