Research project at NSAC looks to reverse the move to artificial trees with balsam firs that hold on to their needles

Mason MacDonald’s research lab gets lots of second glances from students and staff who walk by. With dozens of Balsam Fir cuttings on white paper on lab benches, the room has a Christmas feel to it.

The balsam fir tree is a lush, full and fragrant tree which makes it a popular choice for a Christmas tree in Atlantic Canada, and a mainstay of Nova Scotia’s $30-million-a-year Christmas tree industry.

According to Department of Natural Resources Christmas tree specialist Ross Pentz, tree sales have been declining while artificial tree sales have been increasing.

“One of the main reasons cited why customers are switching to artificial trees is because of needle loss,” said Pentz.

MacDonald hopes to turn that around with a doctoral research project he is conducting with the Atlantic Canada Christmas Tree Research Initiative to understand why Christmas trees loose their needles.

The Atlantic Canada Christmas Tree Research Initiative, launched in 2005 under the leadership of Nova Scotia Agricultural College (NSAC) professor Dr. Raj Lada, is a joint effort by producers, scientists, exporters and extension specialists from across Atlantic Canada with a goal of finding ways to help the Christmas tree industry.

This initiative is funded by the Christmas Tree Council of Nova Scotia, and Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada’s Advancing Canadian Agriculture and Agri-Food (ACAAF) program, which is delivered in Nova Scotia through Agri-Futures Nova Scotia. The Atlantic Canada Christmas Tree Research Initiative is also supported by the Nova Scotia Department of Natural Resources. Mason says most people just assume that a Christmas tree sheds its needles because it’s dry.

“This isn’t the case, he says. “Even with daily watering, needle loss can occur. Measuring water potential within the tree confirms that the tree is not experiencing any significant water deficit.”

The research team is studying the way the trees age (senescence) and the way they shed (abscission) in the hopes of creating a SMART Christmas tree that holds on to its needles.

And SMART in this case is aptly named, standing for “Senescence Modulating and Abscission Regulating Technologies.”

The team is studying about 200 balsam fir clones from a Christmas tree seed orchard in Debert, looking for genetic resistance to needle shedding and more clones from other provinces will be targeted.

Mr. MacDonald is evaluating the needle loss from cuttings on a daily basis.

“With this information, I’m trying to see which clone holds needles the longest,” he says.

Although the research is only in its initial stage, the team has already identified several clones with exceptional needle retention and are now working on identifying physical characteristics that might promote this holding power.

In addition, research thus far shows that needle loss is a complex issue. “Cold acclimation is required for needle retention, with critical temperatures above zero,” says Dr. Lada.

“Temperatures below zero were found to cause severe damage,” he says.

The research team is also investigating the role of ethylene in needle loss. Ethylene is a plant hormone that causes fruit to ripen and plays a role in the dropping of leaves and a plant’s death.

In addition to the lab research, the team is also looking at the effect production methods in the industry have on needle loss.

“Mechanical stress occurs during transit or when moving trees,” says Mason. “This may also play a role in needle loss.”

MacDonald is registered for his PhD program at Laval University but is conducting his research at Nova Scotia Agricultural College under the supervision of Dr. Lada.

As a Nova Scotia Agricultural College alumnus, MacDonald says the decision to remain in Truro was easy.

Mason has strong ties to Truro and is not the only NSAC alumnus in his family. In fact, his mother, Gaye, graduated with her M.Sc. in Animal Science in 2006.

“My mom is a high school science teacher in Brookfield and we both attended NSAC at the same time. I was still working on my B.Sc. when she began her M.Sc,” he says.

MacDonald is the recipient of a prestigious Post Graduate Scholarship (Doctoral) award from the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada.