Christmas Tree Industry Contributes to the Economy
Festival of Trees is this week at the Civic Center. This Season for Caring event benefits Presbyterian Medical Center (PMS) which assists with healthcare for the underserved in the state including primary medical, dental, behavioral health, children’s services, home care, hospice and senior programs. The Festival of Trees is a bright, fun endeavor of a dedicated committee and many volunteers. All the funds raised at this event stay in San Juan County. The trees are donated by various individuals and businesses throughout the community. The tree decorations are entirely dreamed up by the participants and are as varied as our community is diverse. The enthusiasm is evident as the decorators work on their trees and admire their neighbors' creativity. I personally love this event as it kicks my holiday spirit into high gear. As the week goes on and the public enjoys the Festival, little kids eyes light up at the sight of the trees and the goodies they promise beneath. The event culminates on Saturday when the raffle tickets collected throughout the week are drawn, one for each tree and calls are made to the lucky winners to come collect their newly won, fully decorated tree. What great fun! I know because one year I was a lucky recipient.
I thought you might like to know how much the Christmas Tree industry contributes to the economy. I don’t know of any individual stocks that you might purchase along this line, but certainly it adds to the consumer discretionary portion of your portfolio in the agricultural sector. You might think it a cyclical addition, but the industry employs over 100,000 people, both full and part time, thus contributing steadily to the economy. While all states produce some Christmas Trees the top producing states are Oregon, North Carolina, Michigan, Pennsylvania, Wisconsin and Washington with over 15,000 producing farms in the U.S.
One myth the tree growers would like to dispel is that cutting trees hurts the forest. This is not true as most cut Christmas trees come from farms. Farms in North America reportedly plant an estimated 40 million new tree seedlings each year to replace harvested crops and meet future demand. I was surprised to learn that 27 million "real" trees were purchased in 2010. That’s a lot of trees! People seem to prefer to purchase pre-cut trees; 76% over 24% who cut their own. A family may cut their own tree at many of the tree farms in the country or by purchasing a very inexpensive permit from the BLM and cutting a tree from a designated area. What a great way to start the holiday with a trip in the outdoors to bring back a precious tree and make memories at the same time. Don’t forget the picnic basket with some hot chocolate in the thermos!
There are many more interesting Christmas Tree facts on the website for the National Christmas Tree Association. They even have a curriculum available for teachers use. The website also tells you where tree farms are located in your area along with helpful selection and care tips for your "real" tree.
While the trees at the Festival are understandably not "real" they are certainly real in benefiting San Juan County residents both for healthcare through PMS and in getting a healthy, jolly glow started in our hearts for the holiday season. Be sure to schedule time to stop by the Civic Center to take in the beautiful sight before the drawing Saturday afternoon.
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