Ever wondered where your Christmas tree came from?

[Dan F]

If it is a real tree and you bought it off a lot, it most likely came from Oregon. About a quarter of the commercially grown Christmas trees harvested in the U.S. come from Oregon tree farms. Some farmers even ship trees as far away as Hong Kong and Taiwan.

Attached are a few pictures of the harvesting process. Helicopters are used to shuttle piles of cut trees (Noble Firs, in this case) to a location where they are baled (green machine in photo). They are then loaded into trucks to be taken all over the U.S. and Mexico or up to the shipyards to go to the Pacific Islands and Asia.

The first couple photos were taken out my back door. The helicopter photo was taken last year, the picture of them baking just a couple weeks ago. These are my neighbor's trees, our yard ends at the fence.

Our trees (about five acres of them) are still too small to cut, they are the ones in the snowy picture.

The other helicopter photo is at a friend's tree farm.

 

[Modest_Man]

Can't wait to buy a $10-15 tree this year in Oregon. Even just a little north in Washington last year I think we paid $45.

 

[Knowdafish]

There is enough money in Christmas trees to allow the use of a helicopter while harvesting?

 

[krichardson]

There is enough money in Christmas trees to allow the use of a helicopter while harvesting?

This is probably one of the top farms in the area,who can well afford the helicopter. I think it is amazing that there is always a good supply of trees to be sold each year.

 

[Dan F]

There is enough money in Christmas trees to allow the use of a helicopter while harvesting?

It's a half- billion dollar/year industry in the United States!

They have been using helicopters to harvest trees around here since the 80s, all the bigger farms use them these days. The main reason is that you don't have to build roads into the fields - No Roads = More Trees/Acre = More $$$. The fields can also become a muddy mess, depending on the weather, so the helicopters avoid that whole problem.

Here is a shot of a helicopter loaded with a bundle of trees.

 

[dlobom]

It's a half- billion dollar/year industry in the United States!

They have been using helicopters to harvest trees around here since the 80s, all the bigger farms use them these days. The main reason is that you don't have to build roads into the fields - No Roads = More Trees/Acre = More $$$. The fields can also become a muddy mess, depending on the weather, so the helicopters avoid that whole problem.

Here is a shot of a helicopter loaded with a bundle of trees.

Cant believe theres a market for this, specially just after the economy is starting to recover from recession, people still buy enough Christmas trees to make it profitable to have a helicopter

 

[jcardona1]

Cant believe theres a market for this, specially just after the economy is starting to recover from recession, people still buy enough Christmas trees to make it profitable to have a helicopter

I think it's a good thing. And I also think the whole economy thing has been blown out of proportion. Sure, there are millions out of work, but there are still many, many more who are working and doing just fine.

 

[jcardona1]

Can't wait to buy a $10-15 tree this year in Oregon. Even just a little north in Washington last year I think we paid $45.

I'm officially jealous. I just bought mine yesterday for $40. And that was the cheapest I could find locally. The Noble Fir goes for $60-100

 

[ballinouttacntrol]

yup, we should break tradition because unemployment is at 9 percent? hahaha

p.s. the cheap trees and lax of a sales tax is the only thing i love about oregon

 

[spotfin]

Our Christmas trees are all locally grown Many from Maine and parts of eastern Canada go to the big cities here on the east coast (Boston, New York). No helicopter harvesting here though.