Christmas Tree Growers Promote Benefits of Real Trees

SALEM – Two of Oregon’s largest Christmas tree growers announced this week they are forming a coalition to promote sustainable Christmas tree production and recapture some of the market share growers have lost in recent years to artificial trees.

Executives with Holiday Tree Farm of Corvallis, Ore., and Yule Tree Farm of Aurora, Ore., explained in a press conference in front of the Oregon Department of Agriculture building Aug. 28 the coalition will use a third-party auditor to determine if farms meet sustainable production standards, identify and tag trees from farms that meet the standard and market the trees as grown under sustainable practices.

“We are committed to growing trees in a responsible way,” said Dave Schudel of Holiday Tree Farm. “Good farming practices to stabilize soil and prevent runoff help preserve productive farmland for future generations.”

The main emphasis of the program, according to Joe Sharp, president of Yule Tree Farms, is to educate consumers how trees are grown and that real trees are more environmentally friendly than artificial trees.

“If we get the right information to consumers, we can potentially get back some of the market share we’ve lost,” Sharp said.

He estimated U.S. Christmas tree growers sold between 35 million and 38 million trees a year 15 years ago, when he entered the industry. Today, he said, growers typically sell about 25 million trees a year.

“The challenge of the whole program is to have meat, not just fluff,” he said.

Holiday is the nation’s largest producer of Christmas trees. Yule Tree is ranked fifth nationally. Together the farms produce 20 percent of Christmas trees grown in Oregon, which leads the nation in Christmas tree production.

The Oregon Department of Agriculture was notably absent from the press conference – notable in part because of the location of the conference and because a press release announcing the conference originally said the department was going to perform the coalition’s audits.

When asked why the department was not in attendance, Sharp said: “You’ll have to ask them.

“We’re moving forward,” he went on. “This is the right thing. This is the right thing for the industry. And we have other options for certification that we think are well served for what we need.

“It was an opportunity I guess they decided not to pursue,” Sharp said, when asked why the state is not conducting the coalition’s audits.

The Oregon Department of Agriculture audits farms for sustainable certification in its good handling practices and good agricultural practices programs.

Sharp said the coalition has chosen an auditor with extensive experience in certifying farms as organic and sustainable. He would not identify the organization.

“We’ve accepted their offer now that the state has decided not to be included,” he said.

Katy Coba, director of the Oregon Department of Agriculture, said in an interview after the press conference she thinks the program has a positive upside.

“Oregon produces Christmas trees that are a premier product. They are of exceptional quality and the industry as a whole wants to demonstrate that the way we produce our trees is environmentally sustainable to answer any market concerns,” Coba said. “If this program can be developed in a way that supports these industry-wide efforts, I think that is a very positive thing.”

Sharp said Christmas tree growers have discussed the idea of promoting the environmental benefits of real trees through a certification process since he’s been involved in the industry.

“Certification has been talked about for the 15 years I’ve been in the industry, and it was never able to get past the discussion,” he said. “Our decision was we could get a program up and started like many other programs that already exist, and it was for the best interest of the industry to get it going and do a pilot project and make sure it works and make sure it’s successful, and then anyone who is certifiable that will pass the certification can be a member.”

“Not every grower is going to be interested and not every grower is going to be able to comply,” said Steve Schudel, a partner in Holiday Tree Farm.

He added: “If we don’t do proactive stuff like we’re trying to do here, this industry could go away down the road.”

The coalition, called the Coalition of Environmentally Conscious Growers, will market some trees under the sustainable certification label this season, said John Rosica of Rosica Strategic Public Relations in New Jersey. The major push for the program will take place starting in the 2008 season, he said.

Sharp said retailers who have been informed of the coalition are excited by it.

“They are very excited about it and I can guarantee you they are going to use the information,” he said.

Among management practices auditors will monitor when certifying farms are riparian management, soil and water conservation, nutrient management, site selection, pest management, worker health and hygiene and biodiversity.