Originally published in American Forests magazine, Vol. 122, No. 3

Whole Foods Market® and American Forests first partnered last December to plant a tree for every Christmas tree sold in Whole Foods Market stores in the U.S. and Canada. With sleigh bells jingling and much merriment, more than 70,000 trees were purchased, allowing the same number to be planted by American Forests this year. Among the planting locations chosen for the trees were Gunnison Ranger District, Colo.; Lassen National Forest, Calif.; Rio Grande National Forest, Colo.; Lillooet, British Columbia, Canada; the Ichetucknee Springs State Park and Silver Springs State Park, Fla.; and South Quay Sandhills and Chub Sandhill State Natural Area Preserves, Va.

A number of the trees were planted in Gunnison Ranger District in southwestern and south-central Colorado, where since 2010, ravages of the spruce beetle epidemic have killed nearly all of the spruce trees that are roughly more than five years old. The road that runs through the former forest, Highway 149, also known as the Silver Thread Scenic Byway, was once dubbed the “green tunnel” because of its towering spruce trees. The beetle outbreak, and its effects, have now created a tragically “brown tunnel” that mars the landscape. The damage has created much concern in local communities and governments about the potential for large-scale wildfires. After bearing witness to the nearby 2013 West Fork Fire Complex that burned more than 100,000 acres, their worry is based on experience.

And, it’s not just people who have been affected. The area is designated as a habitat corridor for the Canada lynx, a threatened species under the Endangered Species Act that was virtually gone from the landscape in Colorado in the 20th century, but has been successfully reintroduced. Thanks to Whole Foods Market and their customers, this beautiful creature will again have spruce forests in this region in which to live, hunt and play.

American Forests is excited to be working with Whole Foods Market again this holiday season to plant a tree in 2017 for every one sold. Please consider how much the forests will appreciate your gift if you get your Christmas tree at a Whole Foods Market store.