Christmas Tree Facts:
- Every year about 25 to 30 million Christmas trees are being sold across the United States.
- More than 2,000 trees are usually planted per acre and almost all trees require shearing to have Christmas tree shape.
- More than one million acres of land is used for planting Christmas Trees.
- California, Washington and North Carolina are some of the top Christmas Tree producing states.
- Each tree is sheared by hand, top to bottom, by workers wearing long sleeves, hats, and gloves regardless of the heat.
- It takes several minutes to shear each tree.
- Shearing gives the bush the beautiful shape of Christmas tree.
- The top branch of the Christmas tree, where the angel goes, is called the leader. The length of the leader determines the actual shape of the tree and quite often it is responsible for the sale of tree.
- After surviving heavy rains, hail storms and drought, a Christmas tree takes 6 to 10 years to mature.
- Trees are ready for harvest at a height of 6 to 7 feet.
- Growing Christmas trees provides a habitat for wildlife.
- Christmas trees remove dust and pollen from the air.
Christmas Tree Market Facts:
- In 2001 the value of all Christmas trees harvested was $360 million.
- Before shipping a Christmas Tree it is being baled to protect the branches from damage.
- In the United States there are around 12,000 cut your own tree farms available.
- The best selling trees are Scotch pine, Douglas fir, Noble fir, Fraser fir, Virginia pine, Balsam fir and white pine.
- About 100,000 people are employed in the Christmas tree industry.
- 98 percent of all Christmas trees are grown on farms.
|