Fresh cut Christmas trees look and smell beautiful. But did you ever stop to consider how these and other agricultural products support local businesses and local economies? It’s hard to see the effect directly: you go out, cut your own tree, or pick out a tree from a local nursery or garden center. You see other households doing the same, just like selecting produce at the grocery store. But unlike produce at most grocery stores, locally grown Christmas trees are part of a shorter supply chain. Often the garden center has contracted to purchase the trees directly from the grower.
Local Christmas tree growers depend on the sales of Christmas trees and other agricultural products to make a living. This income pays for labor, for the services of local contractors, for groceries, etc. The dollars we spend purchasing these trees trickle into a local New York State economy. For every dollar you spend, the money fans out into paying labor or making purchases that keep others employed.
Buying New York grown trees also helps reduce the possible transmission of pests from outside of the state. Trees are harvested in late fall after most insects have gone to sleep for the winter. There is a small possibility that insects may come along for a ride. If they are local insects, they are a short-term problem: swat them or put them outside. But trees from out of our area can potentially carry in new pests like the spotted lanternfly, which is currently plaguing Eastern Pennsylvania.
For tips on keeping your tree fresh, as well as a handy review of the species of Christmas trees grown in NYS, check out the Christmas Tree Farmers Association of New York’s webpage, https://ctfany.org/.
2020 has been a tough year for all of us, and as we approach the winter months, we may lean into family traditions and familiar comforts. If a fresh-cut Christmas tree is one of your traditions, consider cutting or purchasing a tree from a local grower. You will help build local resilience and make your farmer’s winter a little merrier and brighter, too.
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