Farms combating rise in sales of artificial Christmas trees

SOUTH GLASTONBURY, Conn. -- While Christmas tree farmers across the country are battling to keep up with competition from artificial trees, Connecticut farmers say they still have a strong hold on the holiday market with the real thing.

ADVERTISEMENT

"There's more demand than we have trees," said Rick Macsuga, marketing representative for the state Department of Agriculture.

The number of Christmas trees bought in Connecticut has remained steady, despite a rise in artificial tree purchases. The number of fake trees purchased each year has grown from 7.3 million in 2001 to 9.6 million in 2003, according to the National Christmas Tree Association.

"We're New England and people still like the New England idea of being able to go to a farm and get a tree," said Kathy Kogut, executive director of the Connecticut Christmas Tree Association.

The National Christmas Tree Association has kicked off a campaign to boost real tree sales this year. Through a new deal with Warner Bros., about 800 tree farms in the United States and in Canada are offering discounts on live trees if customers bring in a ticket stub from the new "Polar Express" movie.

The association's Web site also includes a database that allows people to search for tree farms anywhere in the country. Both state and national associations have held essay and art contests in schools to raise "tree awareness" among students.

There was a slight increase of real tree sales from 2002 to 2003 and the marketing campaign should help push those numbers up this year, said Beth Walterscheidt, president elect of the National Christmas Tree Association.

Even Gov. M. Jodi Rell got into the holiday spirit Friday by cutting down a 7 1/2-foot Fraser Fir that she plans to give to the family of a deployed soldier. But she admits to keeping a "skinny and pathetic" artificial Christmas tree in her Brookfield home.

"We miss the real thing. It's just not the same not having a real one anymore," said Michael Rell, the governor's son who also made the trip out to Rose's Berry Farm in South Glastonbury on Friday.

About 95,000 real trees were cut and sold from farms in the state last year, Kogut said. She said that number has not changed much over the last few years, although the annual sale of live trees in the country has dropped from 32 million in 2000 to 23.4 million in 2003.

A poll conducted last week by the national association projects consumers planned to about 25 million real trees this year.

Some farmers say business has even improved since 15 years ago when they had to compete with a bigger number of tree farms in the state.

"A lot of these guys got discouraged and they got out if it. Now we're seeing more customers every year," said Tom Geer, of the family owned Geer Tree Farm in Jewett City.

Geer said his family sells about 5,000 trees a year and there were already about 100 customers at the farm before noon on Friday.

There are more than 500 Christmas tree farms in the state with more than 5,500 acres of land, Kogut said.

Connecticut growers are also optimistic, citing a good harvest year that produced a large number of vegetables and fruits. Warm, sunny weekends usually make for better tree cutting days and farmers are keeping their fingers crossed that the weather holds out this year.

"Your artificial tree is basically a party tree now. It doesn't have the true meaning of Christmas," Kogut said.

------

On the Net:

National Christmas Tree Association: http://www.christmastree.org/home.cfm

Connecticut Christmas Tree Growers Association: http://www.ctchristmastree.org/