Thread by @Nathan_Donley

Every year around this time, a news outlet usually covers pesticide use in Xmas trees. And every year I’m disappointed in how little actual information is given. There’s usually a couple of anecdotes, but very little hard data.

So I did some digging…

medium.com/center-for-bio…

A USDA survey of Xmas tree growers in six states (accounting for 63% of Xmas trees produced in the U.S.) found that Christmas trees in these six states are sprayed with 270,000 pounds of pesticides each year.

So the total for the country is likely around 400,000 lbs every year

85% of this consists of just 8 pesticides: chlorothalonil, atrazine, simazine, glyphosate, hexazinone, carbaryl, chlorpyrifos and dimethoate

Give yourself a pat on the back if you can recite the opening verse of Rudolf while subbing in these 8 pesticides for Santa’s 8 reindeer

These are BAD pesticides, some of the worst used in the U.S. Xmas tree growers in Oregon have also been given special permission to dump #chlorpyrifos out of a helicopter on these trees

A fair question would be: “Do we really need pesticides to grow trees in F’ing Oregon?!!”

This is not to single out Xmas tree growers, this type of thing happens all throughout horticulture. The same thing is going on with that non-organic tree or shrub you get at the local nursery.

The problem is much bigger than Xmas trees, it's with our pesticide regulatory system

When @EPA allows a neurotoxin to be dumped from the sky or atrazine (a widespread pesticide water contaminant) to be sprayed in a water-logged rainforest like western Oregon, it's simply failed

Xmas trees are but a small blip of the pesticide use in the U.S., but I hope this serves as a compelling example of just how much we need to reform our pesticide laws in this country and change the toxic, industry-ridden culture @EPA’s pesticide office

medium.com/center-for-bio…