Kick Off The Holiday Season With The Perfect Tree

close up shot of live christmas trees on a tree farm — Despite the extreme drought, Christmas tree production is strong for this year’s holiday season.
Laura McKenzie/Texas A&M AgriLife Marketing and Communications

Texas Christmas tree production continues to hold strong despite impacts from extreme drought, according to a Texas A&M Forest Service expert.

Dr. Fred Raley, Texas A&M Forest Service tree improvement coordinator, said he is expecting another year of high demand for Christmas trees.

Texas Christmas Tree Production And Prices

“Christmas trees are usually planted through November and March, the trees being sold for this year’s holiday season were actually planted four years ago to reach the mature height of 6 to 8 feet,” said Stan Reed, executive secretary for the Texas Christmas Trees Growers Association.

Like many other crops this year, producers who were not able to adequately irrigate their Christmas trees saw that some of their crop struggled, but not enough to decline production.

“Although we went through extreme drought, we aren’t expecting a shortage in Christmas trees,” Raley said. “The trees that will struggle most are the trees producers import from the Pacific Northwest.”

Prices may vary depending on the size and variety of tree your family chooses.

“The Virginia pine trees are expected to be priced near last year’s tree prices,” said Reed. “We should only see an increase in precut trees being imported.”

Rocky Smith, owner of Holiday Acres Christmas Tree Farm in Manvel, said his customers will have 10-12 acres to go through while searching for their perfect tree.

“Each year we open our farm the weekend after Thanksgiving,” Smith said. “We had an amazing turnout with nice weather, and prices are exactly the same as last year.”

Christmas Tree Demand

“Since 2020, people have been searching for opportunities to get out of the house and create memories with their family,” Raley said. “Producers have taken this opportunity and turned their normal choose-and-cut operation into a fun family event.”

Turning this tradition into a fun family event has caused the demand for live Christmas trees to be high each year.

“Since we are expecting another year of high demand for live Christmas trees, make sure you purchase yours early to secure the perfect tree,” Raley said.

Producers are expecting a good sale season for trees.

“After a fantastic opening weekend, we are excited to see how the rest of the holiday plays out with our wonderful customers,” Smith said.