There are many options for those wishing to put up a Christmas tree. Some choose an artificial tree so it can be used multiple years. Others load up the family and head to a hardware store, grocery store or pop-up Christmas tree vendor to purchase a pre-cut tree for their yearly decoration. For others, Christmas tree farms provide a special experience for a family to pick out and cut down their own tree.
According to the Census of Agriculture, the number of Christmas tree farms in Arkansas has shrunk considerably over the past several years. In 2007, there were 59 farms with 562 total acres devoted to Christmas trees. In 2012, those numbers dropped to 29 farms and 227 acres.
According to the Arkansas Forest Resources Center, one major factor contributing to the decline in Arkansas Christmas tree farms is that the state does not have the correct climate to grow some of the more desirable species, including Noble, Fraser and Douglas firs. It is also hard for many Christmas tree farmers to make money, with demand going down and costs continuing to rise.
“Christmas tree farming isn’t a big-dollar business,” Tamara Walkingstick, associate director of the Arkansas Forest Resources Center, said in a press release. “Growers have to diversify and sell the whole Christmas tree experience to offset rises in the cost of growing the trees.”
In a National Christmas Tree Association poll, consumers across the country indicated that they purchased more than 33.02 million total real trees last year, up from 24.5 million in 2012. Of those real trees, the NCTA said, 85 percent were pre-cut and 14 percent came from cut-your-own farms. The remaining 1 percent did not offer an answer in the poll.
For Mitch McKay in Romance, Christmas is a fun time to see several generations of families who have come to the Romance Christmas Tree Farm to pick out and cut down their Christmas trees.
McKay purchased the farm in 2010. The farm is about 13 acres, and this year is the first year with some trees that are 10 and 11 feet tall. McKay said it usually takes four to five years to grow an 8-foot tree, but with the weather Arkansas has experienced in the past few years, it has taken closer to six or seven years.
The Romance Christmas Tree Farm sells Leyland cypress, Fraser fir and Virginia pines. The Fraser firs are brought in pre-cut from another state. So far this year, McKay has sold 400 trees and still has 200 to 300 for sale.
“We’ve been blessed here,” he said. “Business is still great.”
The Christmas tree farm is not McKay’s only business. He has another company that is his main source of income, which might distinguish him from other Christmas tree farmers, but he said he loves the farm.
“Every year, we ask ourselves why we’re still doing this,” he said. “Then that first van pulls up, and the door opens. The kids step out and have that look on their face of awe and excitement. Then we remember why we do it.”
The University of Arkansas Division of Agriculture Cooperative Extension Service has provided several tips to ensure that a tree remains fresh throughout the Christmas season. It is important to buy the freshest tree available. Christmas tree farms obviously offer fresh trees, with consumers selecting trees when they are still in the ground.
Once the tree is in the home, to keep it fresh, cut a half-inch to an inch from its base, place the tree immediately in water, do not place it near a heat source and use only lights that are designated for indoor use on the tree.
The Romance Christmas Tree Farm is at 1260 Arkansas 5 in Romance. Other Christmas tree farms in the Three Rivers Edition coverage area include Schilling’s Family Christmas Tree Farm at 1476 Arkansas 294 in Jacksonville and Geisler’s Holiday Forest at 8817 Dorsey Road in Jacksonville. For a list of local Christmas tree farms, visit www.arktreegrowers.com/growers.htm.
Staff writer Angela Spencer can be reached at (501) 244-4307 or aspencer@arkansasonline.com.