Christmas Trees
Gathering around a Christmas tree with family to celebrate Christmas together is a tradition dating back to the 1500s. Since 1977, Mississippi Christmas tree growers have provided a large number of the trees used locally each year. In 1997, approximately 245,000 trees were sold with a retail value of $7.5 million. About 95 percent of production is on choose-and-cut Christmas tree farms. These farms are oriented to their local markets. The species of trees grown in Mississippi do not allow growers to market trees in retail lots nor to market trees to other states and countries.
Peak production occurred in Mississippi in 1985. We had 450 Christmas tree farms producing 330,000 trees. In 1997, the total number of farms was down to 170. A national oversupply of trees the past 10+ years drove most of our growers out of business. Surviving growers are very competitive and produce high quality trees at low prices. Production has crept up slightly since 1993 when production hit a low of 200,000 trees.
New species, especially Leyland Cypress, have breathed new life into the Christmas tree industry. Virginia pine has proven itself to be difficult to grow and only marginally profitable. Growers produce a wide variety of species to satisfy customers. For example, a small farm in central Mississippi sells three species choose-and-cut: Virginia Pine, Leyland Cypress, and Eastern Redcedar. In addition, the farm sells several species as living Christmas trees (landscape trees in grow-bags): Leyland Cypress (several varieties), Deodar Cedar, Burkii Cedar, Foster's Holly, Red Leaf Holly Hybrids, and Carolina Sapphire. Future production in Mississippi promises to be even more diverse in species and lean towards the living Christmas tree / landscape tree.
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RAYMOND, Miss. -- Michael May expects to see tree growth impacted for at least the next three years on his Chunky, Miss., Christmas tree farm after this year’s severe to exceptional drought conditions that spanned most of the state.
RAYMOND, Miss. -- The hard freeze that swept Mississippi on March 19 and 20 dampened some of spring’s early displays and left many landscape plants with unsightly cold damage. Now, homeowners are wondering what to do about their landscape plants that lost their leaves or have brown-tipped or brown, shriveled leaves.
RAYMOND, Miss. -- Larry Haley is expecting a busy year at his Christmas tree farm in Saucier. Haley said he sells about 500 trees per year. That may sound like a lot, but they go fast. Families who want to be sure to get the perfect tree should visit their local tree farm as early as possible.
(Photo by Dr. John Kushla)
Choosing, cutting, and bringing home a real Christmas tree is a fun tradition for many families during the holiday season. Around 32,000 Christmas trees are sold in Mississippi each year! Whether you go to a Christmas tree farm or to a local retail store, you’ll likely be presented with a few options to choose from.
With rising prices everywhere, families may expect to pay more for their choose-and-cut Christmas trees this year. But that may not be the case. Mississippi Christmas tree growers faced some challenges in 2021 with weather conditions and price hikes for many of their inputs. However, many growers may decide not to pass those costs on to consumers of their choose-and-cut Christmas trees.
