Christmas tree cultivation is an agricultural, forestry, and horticultural occupation which involves growing pine, spruce, and fir trees specifically for use as Christmas trees.
The first Christmas tree farm was established by 1860 in Maine, but most consumers continued to obtain their trees from forests until the 1930s and 1940s. Christmas tree farming was once seen only as a viable alternative for low-quality farmland, but that perception has changed within the agriculture industry. For optimum yield and quality, land should be flat or gently rolling and relatively free of debris and undergrowth.
A wide variety of pine and fir species are grown as Christmas trees, although a handful of varieties stand out in popularity. In the United States, Douglas-fir, Scots pine and Fraser fir all sell well. Nordmann fir and Norway spruce sell well in the United Kingdom, the latter being popular throughout Europe. Like all conifers, Christmas trees are vulnerable to a range of pests.
The final stage of cultivation, harvesting, is carried out in a number of ways; one of the more popular methods is the pick-your-own tree farm, where customers are allowed to roam the farm, select their tree, and cut it down themselves. Other farmers cultivate potted trees, with balled roots, which can be replanted after Christmas and used again the following year.
History The practice of cultivating evergreens specifically to sell as Christmas trees dates back to at least 1860, when Maine Christmas tree farmers Thomas W. Jackson Jr. and his son Herbert A. Jackson of Portland were selling Christmas trees in New York City. In 1901, a 25,000-tree Norway spruce farm was sown near Trenton, New Jersey.Faber Harold. Off to the farm for a Christmas tree, The New York Times, December 2, 1990, p. 17. Retrieved September 5, 2007. The commercial market for Christmas trees had started 50 years earlier when a farmer from the Catskill Mountains brought trees into New York City to sell.Summers, Will. From Seed to Santa – A Tale of a Christmas Tree , Oregon Employment Department, November 28, 2005. Despite these pioneering efforts, most people still obtained wild-grown Christmas trees from forests into the 1930s and 1940s. More trees were grown in plantations after World War II, and by the 1950s, farmers were shearing and pruning trees to meet customer demands. The Christmas tree market burgeoned through the 1960s and 1970s, but from the late 1980s onward, prices and the market for natural Christmas trees declined. In the early 21st century, nearly 98% of all natural (not artificial) Christmas trees sold worldwide were grown on tree farms. In the 1990s decade, American singer-songwriter Taylor Swift grew up in Pine Ridge Farm, a farm in West Reading, Pennsylvania, later mentioned as Christmas Tree Farm in her song of the same name.
Cultivation
Land and climate
Christmas tree farms are best located on relatively level land that is free of obstructions. In the past, Christmas tree farmers established their plantations on less desirable agricultural plots or "wastelands of agriculture". However, emphasis in modern Christmas tree farming has shifted toward the production of higher-quality trees, and increasing land quality expectations. Indeed, some species of trees, such as the Fraser fir, are unable to grow on low-quality, marginal farmland.Leuty, Todd. Fraser Fir for Christmas Trees and Landscape Transplants , Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs (Ontario), May 1, 2005. Retrieved September 6, 2007. 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.Brown, et al., Bulletin 670: Choice of Lands for Christmas Trees.
Like all crops and plants, Christmas trees require a specific set of nutrients to thrive. Some 16 elements are crucial for growth; of those, three are obtained through air and water: hydrogen, carbon, and oxygen. Nitrogen, phosphorus, potassium, calcium, magnesium, sulfur, boron, copper, chlorine, manganese, molybdenum, iron, and zinc are obtained from the soil. If the necessary elements are not available in the local soil, nutritious fertilizers are used.Hart, et al., Christmas Tree Nutrient Management Guide for Western Oregon and Washington. Other important soil considerations include pH and drainage.Johnson, et al., Tree Crops for Marginal Farmland: Christmas Trees With a Financial Analysis. Certain types of soil are preferable, depending on the type of tree. Pine trees are usually better adapted to a sandy or sandy loam soil, while white spruce trees and fir trees, such as the Douglas fir, prefer fine-texture loams and clay loam soils. Some trees grow well in all types of soil, but in any case, the land must be well-drained for a Christmas tree farm to have a chance of thriving.Koelling and Dornbush, Growing Christmas Trees in Michigan.
The weather, as with other agricultural endeavors, plays a key outcome in the yield of a Christmas tree farm. Severe cold in the winter and extreme hot and dry conditions during and after harvest can cause irreparable damage to the crop. Early snow can make both harvesting and shipping trees difficult or impossible.Barney and Finnerty, Christmas trees is this the crop for you?.
Labor and equipment Christmas tree farming is a labor-intensive process. Depending on the quality of the land, bulldozing may need to be undertaken prior to planting, to remove obstacles such as large trees or rocks.Brown, et al., Bulletin 670: Plantation Establishment and Management: Preplanting Land Preparation. If the volume of undergrowth requires it, the soil may be tilled; tilling can help remove any debris remaining after tree or weed removal. Both woody plants and herbaceous weeds must be controlled prior to planting; this is most often done by application of a chemical herbicide. In addition, some types of fertilizers must be introduced into the soil prior to planting. The work done before planting tree seedlings plays an important role in the overall success of a Christmas tree crop.
After the trees are in the ground, work on the crop continues. Animal pests (especially insects) and diseases must be monitored and controlled, and weed growth must also be minimized. Many species of pine and fir require pruning and shearing two to four years after planting to maintain the classic Christmas tree shape. Late or omitted pruning can result in trees that are unmarketable due to large gaps in needle coverage. Some species of pine, such as the Scots pine, are susceptible to dormant season "yellowing", which is generally countered with a green dye or paint.Lane, Pirjetta, et al. Christmas tree production in Iowa, (PDF file), Cooperative Extension Service, Iowa State University, December 1992. Retrieved September 6, 2007.
The outlay of money on equipment varies greatly. Some items commonly found on Christmas tree farms are insecticide sprayers, tractors, and shaper sheers.Preston, For a Very Merry Christmas, Invest in Trees for the Season. International Herald Tribune. Mechanized planters, at a cost of about US$4,000, are not essential but a work-saving luxury for farmers. Farmers can purchase seedlings, the lifeblood of a Christmas tree farm, from nurseries. One farmer in Oregon purchased seedlings for US$200–300 per 1,000 plants. The farmer, a wholesaler, sold his final products for about $20 each; after the cost of the trees and other expenses, a profit of $2–3 per tree.
Trees
The best-selling species in the North American market are Scots pine, Douglas Fir, Noble Fir, balsam fir, Fraser fir, Virginia pine, and eastern white pine, although other types of trees are also grown and sold.Wolford, Christmas Tree Facts.Christmas Tree Facts, Plant Materials Program, National Resources Conservation Service, December 16, 2003; January 23, 2006. Retrieved September 3, 2007. In Alabama, for example, types of trees grown for use as Christmas trees include eastern white pine, Red Cedar, Virginia pine, Leyland cypress, and Arizona cypress.Fischman, Bernice and Tilt, Ken. History of the Christmas Tree , College of Agriculture - Horticulture, Auburn University. Retrieved July 14, 2007. In Florida, the sand pine and spruce pine are among the 20,000 grown in the state each year.McEleroy, Terance. Florida-Grown Christmas Trees Presented To Governor Bush And Commissioner Bronson , (press release), Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services, December 5, 2006. Retrieved September 3, 2007.
In Great Britain, Nordmann fir is a popular species, largely due to its needle-retention qualities.Anonymous, Metro (London), Tree shortage threatens Christmas.Christmas tree, Gardening, BBC. Retrieved 3 September 2007. Other popular trees in Britain are Norway spruce, Serbian spruce, and Scots pine, the last of which is slightly rarer; it has sharp needles that do not shed easily.
In the U.S. Pacific Northwest, a major Christmas tree growing region, Douglas fir has always been the primary species grown. A full one-half of all trees produced in the Pacific Northwest are Douglas fir.Bondi, An Introduction to Growing Christmas Trees. Douglas firs typically take five to seven years before they are mature enough to sell as Christmas trees. Also common in the region are noble fir, a tree that commands a higher price than Douglas fir, and grand fir, which accounts for about 10% of the annual harvest in the Northwest. Other species collectively account for only 3–5% of the total Northwest harvest.
In North America, Fraser fir, grown in the Appalachian Mountains of North Carolina, has been called the "Cadillac of Christmas Trees", as well as the "most popular and most valuable of Christmas tree species".Vukina, Tomislav, et al. (2001). A Hotelling-Faustmann Explanation of the Structure of Christmas Tree Prices. American Journal of Agricultural Economics 83 (3): 513-525. In the Southern United States, Virginia pine is a popular Christmas tree species. In Canada, white pine, white spruce, Scots pine, blue spruce, and Fraser fir are commonly cultivated. In the province of Ontario, Scots pine has always dominated both the domestic and export markets. Other regions of the world also have different favorites of natural Christmas trees, and Christmas tree farms reflect these; In Europe, Norway spruce is popular.Wolford, Tree Types.
Pests, disease and weeds
Many of the conifer species cultivated face infestations and death from such pests as the balsam woolly adelgid, other adelgids, and aphids. Invasive insect species, such as the pine shoot beetle and the gypsy moth, also threaten Christmas tree crops.Division of Communications: Untitled story , Outdoor Indiana, November/December 2006, Indiana Department of Natural Resources. Retrieved September 4, 2007. Christmas trees are also vulnerable to fungal pathogens, resulting in such illnesses as root rot, and, in California, Washington, Oregon and British Columbia sudden oak death.Sudden Oak Death (SOD) - Phytophthora ramorum , City of Victoria (British Columbia), Parks, Recreation & Community Development: Parks Division. Retrieved 11 September 2007. Douglas-fir trees are especially vulnerable to infections from plant pathogens such as R. pseudotsugae and Rhabdocline weirii; R. weirii affects only Douglas fir trees.How To Identify and Control Rhabdocline and Swiss Needlecasts of Douglas-Fir, North Central Forest Experiment Station United States Forest Service, 1983. Retrieved September 7, 2007. The pathogen often makes Douglas fir trees unsaleable as Christmas trees and heavily affects the Christmas tree farming industry.Cornell University, Rhabodocline Needlecast (Rhabdocline weirii).