For families like the Beaudions starting a tradition will come with an effort to keep the holidays safe for years to come.
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“Most of the farms are just a few acres, but when you look at all the acres that we have across those farms, we have maybe 1,500 acres of Christmas trees in Iowa”, says Northey.
Each year, countless accidents occur around this time of year, so here are some safety tips to make sure your tree doesn’t become a hazard.
Some local Christmas tree farms say it’s been a big weekend for them as sales take off now that Thanksgiving is over. “We’ll cut it for them if they choose”, said Doles. For every Christmas tree that is cut down, another tree is planted. A 2014 study by the National Christmas Tree Association found that more people are selecting trees from chain stores such as Walmart and Home Depot (28%). There customers have the option to pick out a tree that’s already been cut, or they can saw one down themselves. Otherwise, the spring rains increased his tree-planting survival rate, while the summer and fall conditions did little damage to any of his trees, young or old. Watson said the trees range in price from $10 to $120. “I love the smell, I don’t care if they’re messy, I will clean it up”, stressed Schams.
He is growing around 4,000 Leyland Cypress trees right now and also ships in Fraser Firs from North Carolina.
As the industry grows, he says, revenue from Christmas trees are now a significant source of yearly family income for some farmers. Instead, they are grown in the cooler climes of the southern Appalachians and then shipped to SC and other Southern states.
“I received one of the trees in 2007 and it was a really nice touch”, says MSgt.
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That means people everywhere are putting up Christmas trees, stringing lights and hanging ornaments that have been passed down for generations.
