Christmas Tree Lots and Farms

The Christmas tree market was born in 1851 when Catskill farmer Mark Carr hauled two ox sleds of evergreens into New York City and sold them all. The rent charged Carr in 1851 was $1; the next year, the cost to rent the lot was $100.

Christmas tree farms sprang up during the American depression of the 1930s. Nurserymen couldn't sell their evergreens for landscaping, so they cut them for Christmas trees. Cultivated trees were preferred because they have a more symmetrical shape then wild ones.

Christmas Trees are always evergreen trees, because the evergreen tree is the "tree of life". It stays green all winter, and has given us the feeling of hope throughout the centuries. In ancient cultures before Christ was born used to bring them into their homes. Some evergreens, which can even produce flowers and fruit during the winter, seemed magical to these people. People in Estonia and Latvia used to dress Christmas trees with artificial roses, then set them on fire. They hoped to encourage an early Spring.

Into the 1990s, six species account for about 90 percent of the nation's Christmas tree trade. Scotch pine ranks first, comprising about 40 percent of the market, followed by Douglas fir, which accounts for about 35 percent. The other big sellers are noble fir, white pine, balsam fir and white spruce.

In late November and early December, 2000, 36 million U.S. families plan to focus their holiday traditions around a Real Christmas Tree according to a national survey conducted by Wirthlin Wordwide. One million more Real Christmas Trees will be sold in 2000 than in 1999, according to the St. Louis-based National Christmas Tree Association (NCTA).

NCTA says about 23 percent of the consumers will purchase their trees at a Christmas Tree farm while about 62 percent will buy trees from a retail lot. About 300,000 consumers will purchase their Real Tree over the Internet or by mail order.

According to the new survey, about 46 million households plan to use a new or used artificial tree this season. Another 22 million households don’t plan to have a Christmas Tree in 2000. Normally, 50 percent of Americans who don’t have any Christmas Tree say they don’t have a tree because they are not at home for the holidays or too busy. About 12 percent say they won’t have a tree because of religious reasons.

Some other facts from the National Christmas Tree Association:

• There are approximately 35 million Real Christmas Trees sold in North America every year.
• Approximately 330,000 Real Christmas Trees are sold via e-commerce or catalogue and shipped mail-order.
• North-American Real Christmas Trees are grown in all 50 states and Canada. Most artificial trees are manufactured in Korea, Taiwan, or Hong Kong.
• Real Trees are a renewable, recyclable resource. Artificial trees contain non-biodegradable plastics and metals.
• For every Real Christmas Tree harvested, 2 to 3 seedlings are planted in its place the following spring. In the Spring of 2000, over 70 million Real Christmas Tree seedlings were planted.
• There are about 1 million acres in production for growing Christmas Trees. Each acre provides the daily oxygen requirements of 18 people.
• There are about 15,000 Christmas Tree growers in North America, and over 100,000 people employed full or part-time in the industry.
• There are approximately 5,000 choose & harvest farms in the U.S.
• It can take as many as 15 years to grow a tree of average retail sale height (6 feet), but the average growing time is 7 years.
• The top Christmas Tree producing states are Oregon, North Carolina, Pennsylvania, Michigan, Washington and Wisconsin.
• The top selling Christmas Trees are: balsam fir, Douglas-fir, Fraser fir, noble fir, Scotch pine, Virginia pine, and white pine.

At the start of the Christmas 2000 season – the last Christmas of the Second Millenium – the Pacific Northwest Christmas Tree Association reported:

ACRES OF TREES

• Oregon – 67,000 acres
• Washington – 35,000 acres
• Nationally – 1 million

2000 HARVEST

• Oregon - 8.5 million trees
• North Carolina - 7.5 million trees
• Washington - 3.5 million trees
• Michigan - 4.0 million trees
• Wisconsin - 3.0 million trees
• Ohio - 1.0 million trees

CROP VALUE

• Oregon - $144 million
• Washington - $60 million
• Nationally - $360 million

PRODUCTION OF TREES IN THE PACIFIC NORTHWEST

• Noble fir – 50 percent
• Douglas-fir - 40 percent
• Grand fir – 7 percent
• Pine – 1 percent
• All others – 2 percent (Fraser fir, Nordmann fir, Concolor fir, Shasta fir, Silver fir, Balsam fir, Turkish fir, Colorado blue and Norway spruce)

EXPORT OF PACIFIC NORTHWEST TREES

• Some 90 percent of all Pacific Northwest Christmas trees are exported out of the region
• California is the Pacific Northwest’s largest market
• Overseas and foreign markets include: Japan, China, Hong King, Philippines, Hawaii, Alaska, Mexico, Guam, Puerto Rico and Samoa

Of the estimated 36 million trees to be harvested by American growers for the 1998 Christmas season, more than 11 million will come from the farms and natural stands of the Pacific Northwest growers. The Pacific Northwest is the world’s largest producer of Douglas-fir, but is also known for its noble and grand fir as well as several varieties of pine and various other less well-known species.