Christmas tree farms across the state have seen high demand this holiday season, indicating that many Texans are decorating their homes with fresh-cut trees this year.
Stan Reed, the executive secretary for the Texas Christmas Tree Growers Association, shared with the Texas A&M Forest Service on December 2 that some tree farms had nearly sold out already, per a news release.
“A lot of them will be sold out of the choose-and-cut trees this weekend,” he said. “Right now, everybody seems to be doing well.”
According to Reed, recent drought conditions did not have much of an impact on mature Christmas trees the way they did seedlings. However, some trees could have seen some stunted growth.
Dan Schaefer, who operates Lee County Christmas Trees with his wife Susan, told Texas A&M Forest Service they expect to sell around 250 to 300 trees this holiday season.
The six-acre farm got a 40% increase in traffic last year, according to Schaefer, and has seen steady business so far this season. He added he expects the farm to sell a similar number of trees as last year.
When buying a tree at Lee County Christmas Trees, visitors can enjoy photo opportunities, hot chocolate, family games, and hayrides.
“There are places where you can buy a cheaper tree, but you don’t get the holiday experience,” boasted Schaefer, who did not raise his prices this year.
Despite inflationary pressures, Reed said many Christmas tree farms kept last year’s prices.
“Prices of pre-cut trees that came from out-of-state probably went up because of transportation costs,” Reed stated in the news release. “But choose-and-cut trees didn’t go up in price this year.”
The most popular Christmas tree species sold in Texas is the Virginia pine, according to Fred Raley, Texas A&M Forest Service tree improvement coordinator and director of the Western Gulf Forest Tree Improvement Program (WGFTIP).
Raley stated it is popular because of how well it grows in the state. Afghan pines are also popular in parts of Central Texas.
WGFTIP is currently looking for other types of Christmas trees that could do well in the Lone Star State, Raley said. The hope is to provide Texans with more options.
“For many families, there is nothing like choosing your own tree and having the smell and feel of a live Christmas tree,” Raley said. “It’s part of a Rockwellian view of a family Christmas that many people seem to be wanting to continue or recapture.”
Having a real Christmas tree affords Texas families multiple benefits. Choose-and-cut trees can be recycled. They are also biodegradable and can be helpful for the environment.
The Christmas tree industry also benefits the state economy. It generated over $800 million in 2020 and created almost 7,000 jobs, according to the news release. While most artificial trees are imported from other countries, live trees constitute a domestic American industry.
The Texas Christmas Tree Growers Association expects to sell 150,000 tree seedlings this year to bolster future crops, an increase of 20,000 seedlings from last year.
