Setting is a Christmas Tree Farm. A person is squatting at the base of a tree sawing it down.
Christmas trees are grown on family farms throughout Georgia.

Heather N. Kolich, ANR Agent, UGA Extension Forsyth County

The tradition of bringing greenery into the home during winter has a history that spans many centuries and several cultures. For most of them, evergreen branches symbolized renewal of life and anticipation of the fresh fruits and vegetables that spring brings. So how did the tradition of bringing a whole tree indoors get started? Who knows. Maybe some 10-thumbs decorator like me couldn’t weave evergreen branches into a wreath, and opted for a preassembled version.

lanting living trees Keep living trees watered and in a bright, sunny location during the holidays. Gradually reintroduce the tree to the outdoors by placing it outside for a couple of hours in the morning or on a cloudy day, and slowly increasing the hours of outdoor exposure over several days. Keep the mature size of the tree in mind. Some species of Christmas trees exceed 60 feet in height and 30 feet in girth. During the first year, transplanted trees need about an inch of water each week.

What we do know is that German settlers in Pennsylvania introduced cut Christmas trees to the colonies in the mid-1700s, but it took around 100 years for the practice to catch on in other parts of America. In the early 1900s, partly in response to overharvesting of evergreen trees from the nation’s forests, farmers began growing Christmas trees as a specialty crop. Today, some 350 million Christmas trees are growing on about 350,000 acres throughout all 50 states. Many Christmas tree farms are family owned and operated.

In 2016, Georgia Christmas tree growers contributed over $10 million to the state’s economy. We have farms in 75 counties (including several metropolitan counties) devoting 1,432 acres to growing a wide variety of cedars, cypress, spruces, and pines for use as Christmas trees. Many of these farms are open to the public and offer family fun adventures, such as hay rides, petting farms, marshmallow roasting, visits with Santa, and gift shops. On-farm shoppers can choose pre-cut trees, ramble the farm to select and cut their own perfect tree, or purchase living trees that can be planted after the holidays.

Despite the success of Georgia Christmas tree farms, we still import half of all trees sold from other states to meet the annual demand for real Christmas trees. Our neighbor, North Carolina, is second only to Oregon in annual production. Here are some more fun facts about real Christmas tree production:

  • With the exception of Leyland cypress, most cultivated Christmas tree species are genetically very similar to their wild-growing kin.
  • Depending on species, Christmas trees require 4-15 years to reach the typical 6- to 7-foot harvest height.
  • As they grow on the farm, Christmas trees clean pollutants from the air, absorb carbon dioxide, produce oxygen, stabilize soil to prevent erosion, and provide habitats for many species of wildlife.
  • Christmas tree farmers plant 1-3 seedlings for each tree harvested.
  • Keep Georgia Beautiful partners with sponsors throughout the state to support Christmas tree recycling. The Bring One for the Chipper program has reduced some 6 million real Christmas trees into mulch.
  • Mulch from recycled Christmas trees is available for free and is excellent for weed suppression, erosion control, and soil improvement in public and private landscapes.

Although Christmas trees require a longer growth cycle than many Georgia crops, they are a viable option for small farms and agritourism enterprises. The Georgia Christmas Tree Association provides information on starting a Christmas tree farm, and the University of Georgia’s Journeyman Farmer Certificate Program offers Small Farm Business Planning training, as well as production training, for new and small-scale farmers.