Christmas Tree Farming

Christmas Tree Farming

Russell Nemetz
Russell Nemetz
Hi everybody it's time for your Land and Livestock Report here on the Ag Information Network of the West-I'm Russell Nemetz.

Christmas tree farming is similar to other types of agriculture in many ways. Tree farming has seen ups-and-downs in production levels and prices. There are currently at least a few Christmas tree farms in every state in the union. Many are small choose-and-cut farms, while all of the country's farms are run by families. However, Doug Hundley, seasonal spokesperson for the National Christmas Tree Association, says a Christmas tree's growing cycle is completely different from traditional commodities.

"When we plant a field of trees, we add a block of trees we are not going to cut that field clear for ten years. We probably don't sell a single tree from that block for six to seven years. So, it's a tremendously long rotation. It's why we really never know when we're planting trees what the demand will be like eight, nine or ten years later."

Oregon, North Carolina, Michigan, Wisconsin, and Pennsylvania are the top-five producers of Christmas trees, with number one Oregon and number two North Carolina producing 50 percent of the trees sold every year.

That's your Land and Livestock Report-I'm Russell Nemetz.

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