Christmas tree prices expected to hold steady this year

SPOKANE, Wash. — There’s some good news for budget-conscious consumers looking ahead to the holiday season — Christmas-tree growers predict prices will remain stable, an industry official said.

“There has been overproduction in many states, and my guess is that prices are not expected to increase this year,” said Borden Nanney, a tree farmer and president of the Milwaukee-based National Christmas Tree Association.

The 2,000-member association’s annual meeting here ends Friday.

Nationally, the industry sells 35 million Christmas trees each year for $875 million in sales, according to association figures.

The business is competitive and risky with farmers depending on a four-week holiday season to sell trees that take five to 12 years to grow. Artificial trees also are getting more popular, cutting into real-tree business, Nanney said.

One blessing for a tree farmer is to have an 18-foot tree selected for display inside the White House.

“For a farmer, this would be the best publicity you could get,” said Green Bluff farmer Victor Dietz. “People would flock to your farm to cut a Christmas tree.”

On Wednesday, association tree judges selected an Oregon-grown Christmas tree and a North Carolina tree for the 1992 and 1993 displays in the White House Blue Room, said Joan Geiger, an association spokeswoman.

Bob Kintigh of Springfield, Ore., will provide this year’s tree and Wayne Ayers of Johnson City, Tenn., will provide the 1993 tree from his North Carolina farm.