By Samantha Britland

Daily Forty-Niner

Oh Christmas tree, Oh Christmas tree…Are you really a California grown tree?

More than 64 percent of the nation's Christmas trees are harvested in only six states according to the National Agricultural Statistics Service. Oregon, Michigan and North Carolina all have more acreage to grow trees than California, leaving California to trail as the 6th highest harvested state.

Many large California retailers buy most of their trees from Oregon and Washington, enabling them to sell more variety. The climate region of the Northwest allows growers to produce trees at lower cost compared to that of California. Growing conditions in California are not favorable to many trees.

While a majority of the nation's trees are produced out of state, California accounted for approximately 94,000 Christmas trees in inventory, according to an August 2001 summary report by the U.S. Department of Agriculture.

You get a complete holiday experience when you buy a Christmas tree from a farm or retailer. A little holiday cheer, a cup of coffee, hay rides, visits from Santa and free candy canes for the kids can round out the experience.

Across the state there are ‘choose and cut’ tree farms where you actually get to choose your own tree out of the forest or grove, and cut it yourself. This is a farm that you can walk through to check out the trees, instead of a lined of trees propped up in a cement or gravel parking lot. Some families enjoy the experience of trudging through the woods to find the ideal tree, and are more comfortable knowing that it is truly freshly cut. If the choose-and-cut farms don’t bring out the real holiday Christmas tree adventurer in you, there are national forests across the United States where you can buy a permit for about $10 and go into the wild and cut down that perfect tree.

It is estimated that California has more than 250 tree farms that sell around 500,000 trees each year, according to Sam Minturn, executive director of the California Christmas Tree Association. The association has more than 430 members comprised of farms, wholesale growers, suppliers and retail lots.

Choose and cut farm owner of Santa Paula Christmas Tree Farm, and CCTA Southern Section chairman, Dan Roatcap hopes to sell close to 5,000 trees this year. “but that is an unusually good year”, said Roatcap.

Some people simply opt for no tree at all. About 20 percent of the nation does not display a tree at Christmas. Eighteen percent are not home during Christmas, and about 11 percent have religious reasons for not wanting a tree, according to a survey conducted by the National Christmas Tree Association.

More than 70 percent of households across the nation, which displayed a Christmas tree in 2002 had artificial trees, according to the National Christmas Tree Association. This figure is up from 49 percent in 2000.

It is apparent that more and more people are turning to artificial Christmas trees in an uneducated effort to help the environment. The National Christmas Tree Association states that artificial trees never decompose and will remain in landfills for an unprecedented amount of time. Artificial trees live a very short life averaging about six years.

One of the environmental misconceptions with not wanting to buy a living Christmas tree is about killing the nation's forests. Unbeknownst to many artificial tree owners, Christmas trees are grown as crops. More crops are planted every year than trees are cut down. The California Tree Association reported that a minimum of three seedlings is planted each year, for every cut tree.

The real Christmas tree is an invaluable resource to the environment. An acre of trees produce enough oxygen for 18 people to breathe for a day. Not only do real trees contribute to the environment, they are also easily reused and recycled.

There are five main areas where recycled trees are effectively used, according to the National Christmas Tree Association. Trees are mulched or chipped and used in multiple areas, such as ground cover in gardens or on hiking trails, and in beachfront erosion prevention. The trees are used in lake and river shore stabilization, fish habitats, and in river deltas.

Many cities are now adding their own Christmas tree recycling programs.

Los Angeles County the sanitation districts have their own green waste recovery program. Cut, uncontaminated (no tinsel, ornaments, metal etc. on them) trees placed inside their green waste container will be picked up by the local sanitation company.

For drop-off locations and additional information call 1-800-5-TREE-56.

There are a variety of Christmas trees to choose from, the best-selling according to the National Agricultural Statistics Service are Scotch Pine, Douglas Fir, Noble Fir, Fraser Fir, Virginia Pine, Balsam Fir and White Pine. Each tree has different characteristics. Once you decide on a type of tree, you need to make sure that the tree will fit the space in your house that you want to display it. Pick a tree with a straight trunk, but most pines typically have a crook in it. Check the needles for dryness and bring it home.

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