Live Christmas trees have been brought into homes and decorated for the holidays for hundreds of years. Live trees have a fragrance and tradition that cannot be matched to its artificial substitutes. In a poll conducted by Wirthlin Worldwide/Harris Interactive for The National Christmas Tree Association 27.1 million real trees were purchased in 2004, up 3.7 million from 2003. This was the largest single year sales gain since the industry group began tracking consumer purchases. The average price of a tree was $42.60.

Christmas trees of various species are grown in all 50 states, with the top producers being, Oregon, Michigan, Wisconsin,Pennsylvania, California and North Carolina. It takes 5 to 12 years to grow a tree to retail height and for every tree harvested, two or three seedlings are planted. And, real trees are a renewable, recyclable resource. Consumers can find the nearest recycling program by calling 1-800-CLEANUP.

There are approximately 21,000 Christmas tree growers in the U.S.; 5000 of which are choose and cut farms.  They employ over 100,000 people in full and part-time positions. It can take up to 15 years to grow a tree of average retail sale height (6 - 7 feet) or as little as 4 years; with the average being 7 years.

Some people consider the selection of the holiday tree one of the most important decisions to be made in their holiday planning. Trying to find a tree that will endure throughout the holidays is not an easy task.

The top-selling trees are the Scotch pine, Douglas-fir, Eastern White Pine, Fraser Fir and Balsam Fir.

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History of the Christmas Tree
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Caring for Your Tree
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*Tree personal creation of webmistress, not in the public domain.