(bright music) (bright music continues) - Welcome to "Almanac North."

I'm Brett Scott.

- And I'm Maarja Hewitt.

Thanks for joining us.

Tonight we're taking a look at forestry and Christmas tree sales in the region this holiday season.

- That is coming up on "Almanac North."

But first, let's start this evening, invasive species, wildlife species impact, they impact all of us throughout the region.

Plants and animals play a role in all of our lives.

The Wisconsin DNR is seeking nominations for those individuals and groups who work diligently to reduce the impact and spread of invasive species who impact us most for the 21st Annual Invasive Species Action Awards.

The awards recognize those who have made significant contributions to preventing, controlling, or eradicating invasive species that threaten Wisconsin's natural wildlife, wetlands, forests, and waters.

Nominations are now being accepted through February the 16th of 2025.

The awards highlight both volunteer and professional efforts to combat terrestrial and aquatic invasive species.

Whether you're an individual, a community group, or an organization, your efforts in fighting the spread of non-native plants and animals could be honored.

The Wisconsin Invasive Species Council will review all nominations and select the winners who will be notified in April.

An award ceremony will take place in June during Invasive Species Month.

- As you may know, the rotating exhibit located in the lobby of the visitor center at Split Rock Lighthouse showcases local landscape and wildlife photographers and artists.

The lighthouse is now accepting submissions from photographers and artists for the 2025 season of photography and art at the rock.

Photographers and artists can submit their work online through January 6th at mnhs.org.

- A draft of the 2024 St. Louis River Area of Concern Remedial Action Plan is now available for public review and comment through December the 16th.

The update outlines the progress made in cleaning up pollution and restoring habitats over the past year, as well as the remaining steps needed before the river can be delisted from the Great Lakes most polluted sites.

Four out of nine environmental impairments have been removed so far and the document details how remaining goals will be met.

Stakeholders are encouraged to review the draft and provide feedback by December the 16th.

For more details and to submit comments, visit the Wisconsin DNR's St. Louis River AOC webpage, dnr.wisconsin.gov.

- Well, as winter approaches, Essentia Health wants to help our community stay safe and healthy through the colder months.

With a few simple precautions, you can enjoy winter activities while protecting yourself from cold weather and seasonal illnesses.

These tips include dressing warmly by layering clothes and wearing a hat, gloves, and scarf to protect exposed skin from frostbite.

If you're engaging in winter sports like skiing, snowboarding, or ice skating, always wear the appropriate safety gear.

Be cautious of icy patches on sidewalks and driveways, and remember to stay hydrated even in cold weather.

Don't forget the sun can still damage your skin in winter.

So wear sunscreen and sunglasses during outdoor activities.

Winter health tips include limiting time outdoors in extreme cold to prevent hypothermia and frostbite.

Know the signs of hypothermia, shivering, confusion, and drowsiness, and seek medical help if you notice them.

Keep your home properly heated.

Use space heaters safely and install carbon monoxide detectors.

Shorter days and longer nights can also affect your mental health.

To combat seasonal affective disorder, or SAD, stay active, maintain social connections, and get enough sunlight.

Using a humidifier indoors can also help prevent dry skin and respiratory issues.

Protect yourself and others from illness by getting your flu and COVID-19 vaccines.

Practice good hygiene by washing your hands often, covering your mouth when coughing or sneezing, and cleaning frequently touched surfaces.

If you're sick, stay home to avoid spreading illness.

To boost your immune system, eat a balanced diet, get regular exercise, and get plenty of rest.

For more tips on staying healthy this winter, visit Essentia Health's website or talk to your healthcare provider.

Stay safe and enjoy the season.

Now we head over to Brett with our first guest of the show.

(bright music) (bright music continues) (bright music continues) (bright music continues) (bright music continues) - Thank you, Maarja.

Our first guest is the owner and operator for Emmanuel Evergreen Tree Lot in Duluth, Kim Powell.

Kim, welcome to the show.

- Oh, thank you.

I'm glad to be here.

- 'Tis the season.

It's the most wonderful of the year, right?

- Yeah, it sure is.

- Yes.

So tell me about Emanuel Evergreens.

You're in your eighth year.

- I know, it's crazy how time has passed, but yes, we opened up in West Duluth eight years ago.

It's my husband and myself and we have three boys and they've gone from yea big to pretty tall these days.

But we get so many repeat customers and new ones every year, it's just really hard not to look really forward to this time of year.

- Sure, so what does it take to prepare a Christmas tree lot for the season?

How many months do you start preparing in advance?

- So I start in August, as crazy as that sounds, but the trees need to be marked in advance for which ones are gonna be cut and put on the lot.

And so they like to go out in September and get everything marked.

So I need to put my order in from the tree farmers, 'cause I don't grow them myself.

And so that goes in by Labor Day, and then come early November, we like to go over and make sure that we have everything ordered for the lot, may it be price tags to wreaths and green decor and just the pods that we like to stand everything up on.

- Sure.

So what does it take to be a Christmas tree farmer?

I'm sure you've learned some things throughout the eight years that you've been doing this.

What does it take for the tree farmers to have a successful year?

- Well, they definitely need some land to be a farmer, that's for sure.

But it's a variety of, you know, having good soils and good irrigation.

And so every year varies for them.

I know, like, my farmer that I get from, they actually irrigate now, but not all farmers are that lucky.

So depending on the year, they may have a drought.

But that's a four-season transaction for them.

I mean, they're out there in the lots every season doing something.

They say they touch a tree probably on average six to seven times a year, may it be with fertilizer or mulch or trimming.

- Sure.

It's a lot of work that goes into it.

So what goes into picking the perfect tree?

I'm sure you see a lot of folks who ask your advice.

- It's so funny because it's different for everybody, right?

Some people really want really thick and full and others want, you know, spread-out branches.

But I have found that, in general, people want a well-balanced tree that doesn't have any bare spots, that usually smells pretty good, and of course will fit within their ceiling height.

- You don't want it crunched over in your living room like we see on the movies, right?

And it's important to cut off the base of a fresh Christmas tree.

Explain why.

- Absolutely.

So when a tree's cut out of the field, typically it's done, you know, middle of November and these trees need to make it all the way through the end of December.

But a tree will seal sap itself.

So the sap will run down to the base of the trunk and create like a seal to where it won't be allowed to absorb water.

And so you need to cut off a good half inch to an inch at the base again the day that someone's gonna put it in the stand.

And then once it's cut, a customer really needs to get that in the water by five or six hours, otherwise it'll start to reseal itself again.

And if it doesn't drink, then it dries out.

And so you need to keep it, you know, give it a good fresh cut, lots of water the first few days, and then keep that water coming.

- A lot of people think real trees, they're so messy inside.

What are some ways to combat that?

How can you keep that tree healthy all month long, maybe even for two months?

- Yes, some people do.

They keep them up through February even.

I've had customers say that some of the trees I've given them will even resprout come January, February, because because they've kept them watered.

But the biggest thing is to keep them watered.

Make sure that that cut was good.

Not like just a shim.

And to keep it away from heat.

Like, that'll dry it out and make it not last as long.

- Sure, definitely.

What are some logistical challenges, it's gotta be kind of tricky, to running your own Christmas tree lot, right?

- Yeah, so, yeah, especially here in Duluth, like, the November gales that come in on the lake.

So at Emanuel Evergreens, we like to stand every tree individually.

I think we're the only lot in the whole area that does that, because we want our customers to get a feel for what the tree looks like, you know, so they can pick that perfect tree for that spot.

And so what we get challenged with the most is the weather because we're outdoors.

We're not indoors in a greenhouse or anything.

So today for example, it was really windy and I came to the tree lot to open it up and half of my trees were laying down.

So it's keeping them standing.

It's, you know, removing the snow when we get big heavy snows, and I don't know, I guess it's just like, you know, basically trying to stay warm while I'm on the lot.

- Right, yeah, I'm sure you layer up.

That's right.

Tell us a little bit about different types of trees too.

- Yeah, so, well, Minnesota's most famous and popular has always been the balsam and that's where that tree smell comes from that everybody's really familiar with.

So that's a big one.

And they tend to grow pretty fast.

And aside from that, like there's the Fraser fir and that has actually become Minnesota's most popular only because, well, I shouldn't say only, because of a couple of reasons, is, one, it holds its needles the best.

So if you don't want all those messy needles, that Fraser fir is what you're gonna wanna get.

And then two, the branches, it takes a little longer to grow.

So the branches are thick and sturdy and really great for lots of heavy ornaments.

And what has happened in the last couple decades is somebody has learned how to cross-breed the two and they made a hybrid called the Canaan.

So it's a balsam-Fraser mix.

And so they get the best of both worlds with that.

So you get the fragrance, but you get the needle retention.

So that's currently what I have in my house.

- Okay.

And you have those on the lot this year?

- We sure do.

- So if we're looking to get our tree, what's the perfect time to do so?

Should we do it the day before Christmas or a few weeks in advance?

- That's a good question.

So the day before Christmas, I will be sold out.

- Sure.

- Most farmers will be.

So I would say you wanna get it at least 10 days in advance.

After that, I find most farmers are kind of sold out.

So everybody tends to open either Thanksgiving or the weekend before, depending on when that falls, and they run for about three weeks.

- We have about 10 seconds left.

What's the best part of this season for you?

- Seeing repeat customers come back year after year.

- Very fun.

- I love it.

- Eight years you've been in business.

That's exciting.

- Yeah, it is.

We love it.

- Kim, thank you so much.

- [Kim] Thanks, Brett.

(bright music) (bright music continues) (bright music continues) (bright music continues) - Thank you for staying with us.

Our next guest is silviculturist Jarrod Amundson with the Minnesota DNR in Cloquet.

Jarrod, thank you for joining us.

- Thanks for having me.

- So first question, tell me what is a silviculturist?

- So silviculturists, after timber harvest, we're responsible for regenerating or reforesting the area so there's trees available for future timber harvest activities.

So I'm in charge of monitoring that we're actually getting the regeneration back, so getting the baby trees back that we were hoping to.

That could be through planting, through various site prep opportunities.

So basically I'm in charge of growing baby trees.

That's kind of my role in the timber harvest.

- Oh, I like that.

Growing baby trees.

So can you explain the concept of sustainable forestry?

And does it apply similarly to, like, regular timber harvesting and then Christmas tree farms and harvesting?

- So sustainable forestry is ensuring that the trees that we harvest today would still be or will be available for future generations essentially.

We don't wanna be degrading the resource through time, right?

So we wanna ensure that the resource is there for future generations.

So Christmas trees are more of a byproduct for us.

We don't really manage for Christmas trees.

Typically balsam fir come up in the understory of mature stands and those are where we typically sell Christmas trees.

And a lot of those, a lot of that work is mostly for wildfire prevention and hazardous fuels mitigation work.

Also, it could be thinning some of those baby trees like I was talking about before to provide growing space for the trees that we leave, which is all part of being sustainable stewards of the forest.

- Are there benefits with Christmas tree farms?

- We don't really handle, we don't really deal with Christmas trees farms so much.

I think by having those trees available for the folks to go buy, it's easy for them to just pull up with their car and pick out a tree and haul it home and have all the benefits of a fresh live Christmas tree without all of the headaches that may be required to get to some of the places that I work every day, right?

So I think that's where a big benefit would be.

And also then we wouldn't be, we're not necessarily degrading the resource either 'cause we don't have, you know, thousands and thousands of people out there tramping around wanting to cut a tree every year.

It kind of limits the number of folks that are really wanting to get to that and provides opportunity for folks to have live Christmas trees.

- In our region, what sort of like conifers or pine trees like our soil?

Like, 'cause I don't think we have a ton of Christmas tree farms in our region.

I know Wisconsin has like 900 across the state.

Michigan's a huge Christmas tree farm producer.

What about northern Minnesota?

- I would imagine it's somewhat climate driven.

So it's colder.

We have harsh winters, so it's a little bit harder to grow things.

Trees that really like our area are gonna be our native ones.

So white spruce, balsam fir, which was mentioned earlier.

It's a really common species throughout the state.

It's really easy for people to find for Christmas trees.

Like I said, spruce is another one.

There's some pines, but people are generally not as interested in those for Christmas trees as well.

But red and white pine are pretty common to find.

Those are your main conifers that you'll find in the state that are here naturally or natively.

Tree farmers might have like Fraser fir and some of these other species that maybe aren't native to the state, but they're able to grow them with help through irrigation and fertilizing with whatever soil conditions they have.

- Yeah.

As a forester yourself, what are the main challenges you face when managing forest health or your baby trees that you're growing?

- So deer are a big one.

- Oh, really?

- So especially with red and white pine, deer are opportunistic feeders.

They really like our planted red pine or planted white pine.

They'll go in and nip off the leader, which deforms the tree, can kill the tree.

So we have to protect with what's called a bud cap, which is a piece of paper that gets stapled to the top of the tree to help protect it.

Otherwise, competition.

So other tree species that grow faster, like aspen grows faster than our planted pine.

So we have problems with that.

But deer are our biggest challenge, I would say.

- And is that when they're saplings and they're yea high and kinda the perfect height for a deer to just- - Correct.

They like to go right down our planted rows and munch off the top.

So you can see where the deer have have been.

It's pretty obvious to watch them or to see kind of what they were thinking of.

It's easy for them to just walk down the row and nip off the leaders, so.

- What about invasive species, pests, things like that?

- A big one is the spruce budworm in the Arrowhead.

So I'm sure folks have heard of the wildfires, the large wildfires we've had in the state of Minnesota in the last number of years.

A lot of that is driven by spruce budworm, which has killed a lot of the balsam fir in the understory, which is a large wildfire risk for folks in the Arrowhead.

That's another one that we have issues with.

Invasives would be like emerald ash borer, which kills ash trees and can actually lead to deforesting of those areas.

They turn to more grass areas with less trees.

So those are kind of some of the main ones, challenges that we face every day.

And there's new ones it seems like that come out all the time, so.

- Yeah.

And final question, do you have a favorite tree, favorite Christmas tree or just a favorite tree that you get to help grow?

- I do have a favorite tree.

I would say it's white pine.

My wife jokes with me that I'm a tree nerd, so I like to talk about trees and white pine and all those things, so.

- Well, thank you so much for joining us today.

- I appreciate it.

Thanks for having me.

- We'll be right back with a few fun family-friendly activities to kickstart your weekend.

(bright music) (bright music continues) (bright music continues) (bright music continues) (bright music continues) (bright music continues) - Well, coming up Saturday at 9:00 a.m. in Knife River, you'll wanna be part of the Julebyen, a Nordic Christmas village.

The festival celebrates centuries-old traditions with ethnic food, crafts, holiday decor, and music of course.

Families can enjoy the popular jewel hunt, sledding, s'mores, a puppet show, parade, and much more.

Fun for the whole family.

More information can be found online.

- On Saturday and Sunday from 10:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m., the 2024 Duluth Winter Village returns to the DECC.

There you can shop for seasonal gifts for the holidays, check out the latest new vendors in the area, and enjoy hot beverages next to a warm fire.

Additional festivities are also just steps away in Canal Park or Bentleyville.

- In the spirit of giving this winter, many businesses and organizations are teaming up to give away winter gear in Cloquet this Saturday from 9:00 a.m. until 1:00 p.m. at the Raiter Family Clinic.

Items include hats, coats, and mittens in all sizes.

All gear is given away for free, no questions asked.

So if you or someone you know is in need of warm gear this winter, head down to 417 Skyline Boulevard in Cloquet at the Raiter Family Clinic this Saturday.

- And finally, at Two Harbors High School, the Shorts in Winter short film festival will feature 14 local filmmakers for an hour and a half of creative short films.

Doors open at 12:15 on Saturday, December 7th, with screenings beginning at 1:00 p.m. Tickets can be purchased at shortsinwinterfilmfest.com.

Well, before we go, a quick reminder that our December fundraiser is underway.

This is your chance to support PBS North where we create programming focused on you and your community.

"Almanac North" offers a space for informed dialogue and inspiration, highlighting the stories that shape life in the Northland with a local perspective you won't find anywhere else.

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These shows are only made possible with the support of viewers like you.

It's what keeps this local content going.

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Do your part by calling 218-788-2844 or by giving online at pbsnorth.org.

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Thank you.

- That's it for this week's show.

Make sure you go out and enjoy your weekend.

For Brett Scott and the "Almanac North" team, I'm Maarja Hewitt.

Thank you for joining us.

Goodnight.

(bright music) (bright music continues) (bright music)