Oregon still nation’s top Christmas tree producer

Forone of Oregon’s top agricultural commodities, the 2015 holiday season is wellunderway. Between now and the middle of December, up to 7 million Oregon Christmas trees will beharvested and sold locally, nationally andinternationally.

Some of the early trees are already on their way to distantexport markets, with the bulk of activity just around the corner.

It’s a verybusy time for inspectors withthe Oregon Department of Agriculture who issuethe necessary certificates that clear the trees for entry into the marketplace.

“Weare about a week earlier than last year,” says Gary McAninch, manager of ODA’sNursery and Christmas Tree Programs. “We have already inspected and issuedcertificates for trees going to Hawaii and weare just starting to do the samefor trees bound for Mexico.”

Oregonremains the nation’s top producer of Christmas trees. While those trees can befound in numerous international markets, including many Pacific Rim countries,the US neighbor to the south remains thebiggest foreign customer at about 12percent of Oregon Christmas trees harvested annually.

Those trees don’t crossthe border without the all important inspection and phytosanitary certificate.

“Ourcustomers don’t want to get any dangerous pests or diseases from Christmas trees, and we don’t want to give them any of those pests and diseases,” saysMcAninch. “So we are required to inspect the treeshere in Oregon before theyare shipped to other states and countries. That ensures we are meeting theimportation requirements.”

Withas much as 90 percent of Oregon’s 530 licensed Christmas tree growers shippingout of state, ODA inspectors will be working seven days a week between now andabout the first week of December, whenharvest and shipping finally ends.

“Otherstates and countries want to make sure we provide Christmas trees that areclean of insect pests and diseases, and that requires a very good workingrelationship with the Oregon Department ofAgriculture,” says Bryan Ostlund,executive director of the Pacific Northwest Christmas Tree Growers Association.”ODA inspectors come out and spend considerable time to make sure the trees weship out of Oregonare what we say they are.”

Theinspection of Christmas trees actually begins well before the holidaysapproach. ODA inspectors examine fields in late summer and early fall, lookingfor potential problems that could put a snag into out-of-state shipments.

Receiving countries want to make sure those trees arrive without problems thatcould become established in their own back yard. In some cases, trees are requiredto be mechanically shaken to dislodgelarger insects as well as dead needles.Once again, the phytosanitary certificate assures that the trees are problem-free.

ODAinspectors even look at Christmas trees that never leave the state. Growerswill often request the expertise of inspectors to identify problems in thefield even though there is no requirement for certificationof trees thatremain in Oregon. It’s just another way of upholding the good reputation ofhigh quality Oregon Christmas trees.

Anadditional challenge this year – at least for the younger trees that won’t beharvested for a few more years – was the warm and dry summer.

“Thebigger, more mature trees are generally pretty hearty, so when we have a yearof extended warm and dry weather during the summer months, those trees handleit fairly well,” says Ostlund. “Fortunately, therecent rain is fully hydratingthe trees being harvested. We want those trees being shipped out of Oregon tobe in the best possible condition. The rain we are currently having is perfecttiming.”

Onthe other hand, seedlings that went into the ground to replace the 2014 harvestare small, without a lot of water-carrying capacity and root systems that arenot fully developed.

There has been more seedlingmortality in 2015 than whathas taken place in recent years, which could have a slight impact when thatplanting is ready for harvest 7 to 9 years from now.

llin all, it should be a decent year for Oregon Christmas tree growers. In otherparts of the US, production is down, which is directing buyers to look to thePacific Northwest for ample supplies of trees. Ostlundrefers to the shift froma national oversupply of Christmas trees as a right-sizing of supply.

“Buyershave to work a little harder to find the types of trees they want and the sizesthey want. That will be reflected in prices going up a bit this year. That maynot be the case so much in Oregon, but with ourmajor markets like California –where about 50 percent of Oregon’s Christmas trees are sold – there will be abump in price at the wholesale level for the first time in many years. Whatthat means to the consumer at theretail level remains to be seen.”

Ostlundexpects the export market to be down somewhat this year since Oregon growerscan more easily sell their inventory inside the continental US. While the breadand butter of Oregon’s industry remains theDouglas fir and the noble fir,newer species are increasing in popularity. Nordmann and Turkish firs performwell after harvest in terms of keeping their needles, color, and fragrance.

“Growersneed to project several years in advance what species of trees they can handleand what people will want, so they need to sharpen their crystal ball,” saysOstlund. “Sometimes it is simply crossing yourfingers and hoping for thebest.”

Forthis year, the phones are ringing and growers are filling orders. Several yearsof growing and culturing trees now boils down to a few short weeks of freneticactivity. In terms of production value, Christmas trees have annually been atop ten agricultural commodity in Oregon. There is nothing to suggest that will change any time soon.