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Families supported native prairie restoration while harvesting eastern red cedars at Powell Gardens this weekend.
While the eastern red cedar is native to Missouri, the trees reproduce rapidly and take over land, competing for resources that other native species need.
Experts say it is beneficial to clear them out.
“We’re creating healthier, more functional ecosystems that are way more resilient to things like climate change," said Hunter Moore, of Bridging the Gap. "And they are way more efficient when they’re restored at providing those benefits that we all rely on like clean air, clean water and carbon sequestration."
Ryan Joseph, natural resources manager at Powell Gardens, says modern infrastructure has also made it difficult for nature to do its own cleanup.
“They just, they’ll multiply like crazy,” Joseph said. “In Missouri, when it was a lot more of a tall grass prairie, fires were able to spread a lot easier, and that would naturally kill these trees. But now, we have roads everywhere.”
To take matters into their own hands, Powell Gardens, Good Oak and Kansas City WildLands (a program of Bridging the Gap) have been partnering since 2004 to host the annual Christmas Cedar Tree Day event.
After several years off, coming out of the COVID-19 pandemic, they were excited to reopen to the public this year.
“People have asked us routinely, year after year, when are you bringing this back? When can we do this again?” Moore said. “Not only picking out their perfect Christmas tree, but also just taking time away from the screens and their busy lives to spend time together.”
Over 500 tree shoppers came out to pick the perfect tree, garland and wreath. A suggested donation of $25 per tree went to support Kansas City WildLands and the Midwest Center for Regenerative Agriculture (MCRA) at Powell Gardens.
“It’d be a dual purpose," said tree shopper Brian Gunsallus. "You can use it for Christmas time... You’re also helping out the environment by getting rid of a tree that nobody wants.”
For Brian and Gina Gunsallus, a real tree is non-negotiable every year. But they are willing to try different kinds of evergreens.
Artificial or real is ultimately up to families, but for them, the best holiday memories are made with a guilt-free cedar.
“I did that as a kid with my parents at my grandparents' house, so kinda brought back a lot of fun memories,” Gina Gunsallus said. “The smell, I think. I like the smell.”
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