Real Texas Christmas Trees Boost Economy and Generate $397 Million in Direct Donations | News

COLLEGE STATION – More than four million real Christmas trees are sold annually in Texas, supporting farms and agricultural businesses across the state. As the holiday season approaches, the Texas A&M Forest Service recommends purchasing real Christmas trees to stimulate the Texas economy.

The Texas A&M Forest Service recently conducted an economic study that shows how much value the real Christmas tree industry brings to the state. In 2022, the industry generated more than $714 million in economic impact, including direct, indirect and induced impacts, while supporting nearly 6,000 jobs. Of the total impact of $714 million, the Texas Christmas tree industry had a direct economic impact of $397 million and employed 3,896 people with a payroll of more than $97 million.

According to 2022 estimates from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, the Texas Christmas tree industry ranks second in the southern U.S. in terms of average annual employment and average wages.

“It is a tradition in many homes to have a real Christmas tree,” said Aaron Stottlemyer, director of forest analytics for the Texas A&M Forest Service. “Picking out a tree as a family is a fun activity that supports rural economies across the state.”

While many may not think that many Christmas trees grow in the Southern states, they are actually grown in all 50 states. The most common Christmas trees in Texas are Virginia pine, Afghan pine, short-leaf Eastern red cedar, Arizona cypress and Leyland cypress.

The first recorded Christmas tree planting in Texas took place in Jasper in 1935. Since the 1970s, institutions such as the Texas A&M Forest Service, Texas A&M University and Stephen F. Austin have worked to optimize the health and growth of Christmas tree species to strengthen the state's Christmas tree industry.

“The Texas Christmas Tree Growers Association and the Texas A&M Forest Service have worked together since the early 1980s,” said Fred Raley, Texas A&M Forest Service tree improvement coordinator. “The collaboration has helped develop locally adapted Virginia pines that are particularly hardy and adapted to the Texas climate, ensuring that those who prefer a live tree can enjoy this Christmas experience for a very long time.”

In the United States, sales of real Christmas trees have declined since 2018, and as of 2020, sales of artificial trees have outpaced real trees. But choosing a real Christmas tree should always be considered. Cutting down Christmas trees is not only good for our economy, but is also vital to the sustainability of our ecosystem and forests.

After the holiday season, real Christmas trees can be reused and recycled for many purposes. Real Christmas trees can be used as landscape mulch in yards and gardens to protect against soil erosion, as nesting material for birds, and as natural aquatic habitat for fish and wildlife in ponds or lakes.

Stottlemyer explains that the Christmas tree industry is critical to fulfilling the life cycle of trees, expanding the potential of trees beyond their natural life, and creating sustainable forests and economies.

“Christmas tree farms are essentially young forests,” Stottlemyer said. “They can provide us with the same benefits as traditional forests by sequestering carbon, providing natural habitat for wildlife, purifying our water and providing recreational opportunities.”

Real Christmas tree buyers can visit the Texas Christmas Tree Growers Association website to explore the different Christmas tree farms in each region of Texas.