| DECEMBER 14, 2011 -- The holiday shopping season officially started this year for many right after–or even on–Thanksgiving with the Black Friday shopping spree. After filling up on Thanksgiving dinner and dessert, I am not one who especially feels like staying up an additional 12 hours in order to take advantage of “special bargains.” Instead I try to get a good night’s sleep in order to get ready for those shoppers who are coming to purchase a Connecticut Grown Christmas tree, one of the greatest values around.
The day after Thanksgiving officially marks the tree sales season on our small Christmas tree farm. Our eight acres of trees have opened for business on this day for the last 40-plus years. Ours is a family-owned and -operated business, as are most of the choose-and-cut Christmas tree farms in the state. The average tree farm in Connecticut will range in size up to 15 acres but there are also some farms as large as 75 to 200 acres.
These larger farms engage in a combination of wholesale and retail sales. Wholesale customers include nursery outlets as well as organizations such as fire companies, municipalities, and Scout troops, which use plant and tree sales as fundraisers. These wholesale customers pay a lower-than-retail price to the growers and then mark up the trees accordingly for resale.
Prices for retail trees on choose-and-cut farms show a wide range across the state. Just as in real estate, “location, location, location!” is an important factor. Along the shore in high-end communities, and especially in Fairfield County, trees command a higher retail price. Prices this year at Connecticut choose-and-cut locations range from $20 to $70. Stands where cut trees ae sold show an even larger price range, starting at about $15 and going up to $150.
Tree height and variety are other factors in pricing. While many farms set one price for any size, other farms charge by the foot as well as by the variety. Often times a farm will set one price for a tree up to a certain height and then charge another price after that height threshold is reached. In addition, different prices may be charged for different types of trees. Fir trees may be set at a higher price than spruce or pine trees because firs take longer to mature and are in higher demand.
We encourage all to buy Connecticut Grown, and during this season to visit a local tree farm. Doing so benefits your local economy and Connecticut’s family-owned farms, and it helps to keep agricultural land in the state actively working.
Connecticut has over 200 tree farms encompassing an estimated 5,000 acres in production. More than 500,000 cut trees are sold annually, worth an estimated $15-$20 million. For each tree that is cut and sold, two are planted to replace it, ensuring a constant stream of trees for the future. Real Christmas trees are a renewable, recyclable resource, while artificial trees contain non-biodegradable plastics and possible metal toxins such as lead.
Nationwide, approximately 25-30 million trees are sold each year on about 15,000 farms comprising 350,000 acres.
To find a Connecticut choose-and-cut Christmas tree farm please visit www.CTGrown.gov and click on “Publications.” For tips on how to keep that Connecticut Grown tree fresh, visit http://www.ctchristmastree.org/Care.html. We wish you all a healthy and happy holiday season! |
