It’s the most wonderful time of the year. A time when young foresters, aided by friends, significant others, and curious onlookers, caravan north to Yale-Myers Forest to harvest trees, spruce boughs, mountain laurel, and winterberry. Every year, in early December, we take a break from the final weeks of classes to harvest Christmas trees and wreath-making materials at Yale-Myers and return to Yale with trucks overflowing with holiday cheer.

This year, we harvested the trees during the day on a Friday and gathered at Yale Farm that night to eat pizza, drink hot cider, and assemble wreathes by a roaring fire. For the past two weekends, we sold trees and wreathes to fellow students, faculty, and members of the New Haven community, raising funds for the Yale student chapter…