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CHRISTMAS TREES THE INDUSTRY 



ARTHUR M. SOWDER 



Nearly all species of evergreens are 

 used for Christmas trees. Availability, 

 cost, and sentiment are among the 

 points that most people have in mind 

 when they buy Christmas trees. Other 

 attributes that make a tree desirable 

 are its retention of needles or foliage 

 after it is cut, especially when it is 

 placed indoors ; its pyramidal, compact 

 shape; ample nonprickly, deep-green 

 foliage ; limb strength sufficient to sup- 

 port the ornaments and electric lights; 

 pliable branches (so that they can 

 be tied compactly for shipment) ; and 

 fragrance. 



The States bordering Canada, ex- 

 cept North Dakota, produce most of 

 our Christmas trees. 



Recent estimates of the cut of the 

 Christmas trees in 1 1 Northeastern and 

 Middle Atlantic States were 6,428,000; 

 3 Lake States, 5,200,000; the 5 Central 

 States, 207,500; 14 Southern States, 

 3,163,500; 4 Prairie States, 5,000; 6 

 southern Rocky Mountain States, 150,- 

 000; 5 Pacific Coast and Northwest 

 States, 6,296,400 a total of 21,450,- 

 400 trees. 



Montana, the only State to report 

 production figures over a period of 

 years, in one season shipped trees to 3 1 

 States, among them Illinois, 545,000 

 trees; Iowa, 285,000; Kansas, 180,000; 

 Missouri, 175,000; Texas, 150,000; 

 Nebraska, 145,000; Minnesota, 135,- 

 000; Oklahoma, 110,000; Washington, 

 100,000; California, 90,000; New York 

 and Maryland, 5,000 each. Even Cuba 

 received a supply of Montana-grown 

 evergreens. Under normal conditions, 

 Montana can probably maintain an an- 

 nual output of 3 million trees, which 

 it reached in 1943, 1946, and 1948. 



Most of the 21,450,400 trees har- 

 vested came from privately owned 

 lands. About 13 percent were cut from 

 public lands Federal, State, and 

 county. Of the 87 percent from private 

 lands, the numbers of trees from farm 



woodland and from nonfarm or indus- 

 trial lands are about equally divided. 

 In Montana, during a recent year, 83 

 percent of the trees were cut from pri- 

 vately owned woodlands, 10 percent 

 from Federal lands, and 7 percent from 

 State lands. In the Northeastern States, 

 most of the trees are taken from nat- 

 urally forested areas or from pasture 

 lands upon which the trees encroached. 

 Of the 13 percent from public lands, 

 about 1 million trees come from na- 

 tional forests, 1.5 million from State 

 and county lands, and a small number 

 from other Federal lands. Established 

 plantations yield approximately 1.5 

 million trees a year. 



More than 5 million trees are im- 

 ported annually. In 1947, the figure 

 was 6,808,158 trees, valued at $1,- 

 909,167. Nearly all of the trees are 

 shipped in from Canada, but a few 

 have been imported from Newfound- 

 land, Labrador, and the Dominican 

 Republic. Some tree dealers in the 

 United States own or lease forested 

 areas in Canada for cutting Christmas 

 trees. 



Thus the total number of Christmas 

 trees distributed in the United States 

 is about 28 million. 



About half the trees are shipped by 

 rail and half by highway. A few are 

 moved over water even fewer are 

 shipped by air. 



The most common size of tree is 5 

 to 7 feet, for homes; but the trees 

 range from a foot or two, for tables, 

 to those 20 feet or more tall, which are 

 used in schools, churches, business 

 houses, hotels, and so on. One of the 

 largest Christmas trees ever brought 

 in from the forest was placed in Persh- 

 ing Square in Los Angeles for Christ- 

 mas 1948. It was a 67-year-old white 

 fir that measured 96 feet, 2 inches tall. 

 Trees 30 to 70 feet high can be 

 "made" by attaching short sections of 

 water pipes, spoke fashion, to a tele- 



