Christmas tree cultivation has shifted toward the production of higher-quality trees, increasing land quality expectations as well. Indeed, some species of tree, such as the Fraser fir, are unable to grow on low-quality, marginal farmland. Flat or gently rolling land is preferred to that with steep slopes and inclines, which is prone to erosion and fluctuations in fertility. Noticeable obstructions, such as rocks, fences or significant underbrush, are also undesirable. Like all crops and plants, Christmas trees require a specific set of nutrients to thrive. There are 16 elements crucial for growth; of those, three are obtained through air and water: hydrogen, carbon,
Steamboats of the Lower Fraser River and Harrison Lake draft steamer. A Hudson's Bay fort at Fort Langley, sat some inland from tidewater. Regular steamer service ran on the Fraser River as far as Yale and also shortly afterwards via the Harrison River up to the head of Harrison Lake, where a townsite named Port Douglas became the port of disembarkation for the Douglas Road, also known as the Lakes Route or Lillooet Trail, which ran via a series of lakes and wagon-road portages to Cayoosh Flat, the other major boomtown of the early gold rush alongside Yale and Port Douglas. One Cariboo Gold Rush diarist noted In 1881