Tree Fun Facts

Tree Fun Facts

Here are some fun and interesting facts about real Christmas trees and tree farms. Enjoy!

  • Approximately 30 million real Christmas trees are sold in North America every year, totalling over $1.2 billion in sales.  About 78% of these are pre-cut trees and 22% cut-your-own.
  • There are more than 350 million trees growing on Christmas tree farms in the U.S. alone.
  • The top selling Christmas trees nationwide are Balsam Fir, Douglas Fir, Fraser Fir, Noble Fir, Scotch Pine, Virginia Pine and White Pine.
  • One acre of Christmas trees produces the daily oxygen requirement for 18 people.
  • It can take as many as 15 years to grow a tree of average retail sale height (6 feet), but the average growing time is 7 years.
  • North-American real Christmas trees are grown in all 50 states and Canada.  Most artificial trees are manufactured in China, Taiwan or Hong Kong.
  • For every real Christmas tree harvested, two to three seedlings are planted in its place the following spring.
  • There are more than 400 Ohio Christmas tree producers; more than 15,000 U.S. producers; and more than 100,000 people employed by the real Christmas tree farming industry.
  • In 1510 the first known decorated Christmas tree appeared in Riga, Latvia.  Paper, fruits and sweets adorned early Christmas trees.  The first retail Christmas tree lot was in Germany in 1531.
  • President Pierce took the first Christmas tree into the White House in 1856.  In 1923 President Coolidge started the National Christmas Tree Lighting ceremony, which is now celebrated every year.