For nearly 30 years the price of real Christmas trees has remained virtually unchanged. According to Joe Sharp, President of Yule Tree Farms in Canby Oregon (the fifth largest Christmas tree farm in the country) the median price for a Douglas Fir in 1980 was $25 and a Noble Fir was $45. Today Douglas Firs are selling for $22 to $24 and Noble Firs for $39.

The reason for this is the fact that there are 17,000 family farms that grow trees and production has not declined in spite of the fact that artificial trees and cultural changes reduced fresh cut sales by 30%. The Christmas tree business has proven to be recession proof and this seems to be because in times of economic hardships, consumers tend to spend money on things that make them feel good. Fresh Cut Christmas trees symbolize a time of joy and celebration and in the face challenging economic times–a happy respite.

Not only are real Christmas trees an inexpensive way to celebrate the holidays, but they are an environmentally friendly option. In 2007, Sharp co- founded the Coalition of Environmentally-Conscious Growers™, a non-profit organization, to certify that members’ trees are grown in a “green” responsible way.

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