UNBC’s Forestry Club is branching out into a unique business venture – a Christmas Tree Farm.

It’s a project that when the trees are sold, will produce income for the Forestry Club to sponsor scholarships, charities, and donations of Christmas trees by 2026.

A mix of spruce and Douglas-Fir seedlings will be planted on a 3.4-hectare parcel of land located on the UNBC campus, north of the Teaching and Learning Centre along an access road/walking trail.

Each area to be planted will be cleared year by year and each area varies in size. Eventually, the entire 3.4-ha area will be planted with about 3,000 stems per hectare. Apartment and dorm-size trees will be ready in seven years by 2023.

Income from the trees will also partially fund UNBC’s Natural Resource Management 333 Field School by 2026.

“Having the chance to provide an area for students and the local community to pick the perfect tree will be exciting and I hope the work we put into the Christmas Tree Farm will add to future success,” said fourth-year Forestry student Marc Howard, Christmas Tree Farm Co-Manager for 2016-17.

“I am also looking forward to the opportunity and potential we have for foraging and research trials in the area and that we will be supporting numerous endeavours at UNBC at the same time.”

The project is another example of experiential learning at UNBC which will allow students to develop confidence in their understanding of scientific theory, seek opportunities to develop their personal or professional skills further and provide an opportunity for multi-disciplinary interaction of undergraduate and graduate students.

The remaining area – 14 ha -- that is not being dedicated to the Christmas Tree Farm will be used for agroforestry values such as berry picking, birch sap, mushroom picking and many other non-timber forest products as well as any research opportunities that may present themselves.

The idea for the Christmas Tree Farm took root in the Fall of 2013 when students in Forestry 408 – Forest Practices and Management -- were shown the basics of the forest policy, including tenure types.

In the spring of 2015, the Forestry Club secured a $5,000 Green Fund Grant from UNBC’s Sustainability department to cover the start-up costs establishing the Christmas Tree Farm. Those costs include clearing the land and preparing the site for planting.

In May 2015, seedlings were obtained from a variety of species from UNBC’s Irving K. Barber’s Enhanced Forestry Lab. Two-year-old Spruce seedlings were also collected from the PRT Redrock Nursery.

Last winter, the UNBC land was secured, and a detailed project plan and Memorandum of Understanding were drawn up. UNBC’s Administration approved the project in April 2016. The MOU was also signed Monday.

Pictured above, from left, UNBC Forestry Club students Liz Wass, Marc Howard and Anna Tobiasz are joined by UNBC President Dr. Daniel Weeks at the Christmas Tree Farm site.