By: Hannah Lang
States that produce the most Christmas trees
Nothing beats a real Christmas tree, from the crisp evergreen scent to choosing the perfect Tannenbaum to adorn with glistening ornaments come December. Across the U.S., more than 15 million trees are harvested from 15,000 tree farms, where 295,162 acres are in production. Christmas trees are a big business, bringing in about $377 million in sales.
Christmas tree farming creates more than 100,000 full-time or part-time jobs. The nation’s Christmas tree farms not only fill a critical economic need but also preserve miles upon miles of green space and wildlife.
Stacker compiled data from the 2017 USDA Agricultural Census (released in 2019), conducted every five years, to identify the states that produce the most Christmas trees. States are ranked by the number of trees harvested in each. Alaska, Wyoming, North Dakota, Nevada, and Arizona did not report information to be included on the list.
Though only the top ten are included below, Illinois is #18 on the list, cutting 84,442 trees, totaling $3.92 million in sales.
Top 10 Christmas tree states
#10. Ohio
- Total trees cut: 155,572
- Total farms: 737
- Total acres in production: 7,714
- Total sales: $4.89M
Ohio families can choose between several species for their Christmas tree: the Austrian pine, Scotch pine, eastern white pine, red pine, southwestern white pine, Norway spruce, or Serbian spruce. However, the Scotch pine is the most popular in Ohio thanks to its strong needle retention and firm branches.
#9. Minnesota
- Total trees cut: 182,532
- Total farms: 321
- Total acres in production: 7,337
- Total sales: $5.8M
Minnesota Christmas tree farmers sell about half a million Christmas trees each year. The most popular tree varieties in the state are the balsam fir, Fraser fir, and Scotch pine. However, the Norway pine, white pine, and Colorado spruce are also common.
#8. New York
- Total trees cut: 295,260
- Total farms: 1,187
- Total acres in production: 19,762
- Total sales: Data not available
It takes seven to 12 years to grow a healthy, 7-foot Christmas tree in New York. The most common long-needled tree in the state is the Scots pine, while the most common short-needled tree in New York is the Douglas fir.
#7. Virginia
- Total trees cut: 474,902
- Total farms: 464
- Total acres in production: 11,151
- Total sales: Data not available
The white pine is the most widely planted Christmas tree variety in Virginia due to its adaptability and excellent needle retention. Despite its name, the Virginia pine is a relatively new species to the state and performs better in the Deep South.
#6. Washington
- Total trees cut: 535,046
- Total farms: 670
- Total acres in production: 7,985
- Total sales: Data not available
Many rural landowners in southwest Washington benefit from farming Christmas trees, thanks to the long growing season and mild winters that contribute to the production of fir trees. Furthermore, Washington state’s cool fall harvesting season and high humidity ensure the longevity of Christmas trees after they are cut.
#5. Wisconsin
- Total trees cut: 700,341
- Total farms: 859
- Total acres in production: 23,373
- Total sales: $18.03M
2017’s White House Christmas tree came from the state of Wisconsin, and it was grown by the owners of Silent Night Evergreens in Endeavor, Wisconsin, who won the 2017 National Christmas Tree Contest. In 2016, the winning Christmas tree also came from Wisconsin.
#4. Pennsylvania
- Total trees cut: 1,050,159
- Total farms: 1,281
- Total acres in production: 30,793
- Total sales: $28.81M
Pennsylvania harvests more than 1 million Christmas trees each holiday season. If you combine all the acres the state devotes to growing Christmas trees, it would cover more than 49 square miles.
#3. Michigan
- Total trees cut: 1,551,185
- Total farms: 1,233
- Total acres in production: 36,986
- Total sales: $28.73M
The most popular Christmas trees in Michigan are the Scotch pine, white pine, blue spruce, black hills spruce, balsam fir, concolor fir, Douglas fir, and Fraser fir. In 2017, Amazon began selling and delivering Michigan Christmas trees to families across the country.
#2. North Carolina
- Total trees cut: 4,031,864
- Total farms: 854
- Total acres in production: 38,893
- Total sales: $86.83M
The Fraser fir comprises about all Christmas tree varieties grown in North Carolina. The North Carolina Fraser fir is shipped annually to every state in the United States and the Caribbean Islands, Mexico, Canada, Bermuda, and Japan. North Carolina is a Christmas tree-producing giant, growing more than 1 in 5 Christmas trees in the country.
#1. Oregon
- Total trees cut: 4,714,298
- Total farms: 1,431
- Total acres in production: 45,283
- Total sales: $120.68M
Oregon’s title as the state that produces the most Christmas trees isn’t even a close race—it outpaces North Carolina (the #2 state) by more than 2 million trees. Ninety-two percent of Oregonian Christmas trees are shipped outside of the state, and in 2015, Christmas trees brought in $84.5 million of estimated revenue.
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