Gov. Charlie Baker is kicking off the Christmas tree buying season by declaring the day after Thanksgiving "Green Friday" in Massachusetts.
Baker says he wants to recognize the contributions of Christmas tree growers to the state economy by encouraging everyone to buy a Massachusetts-grown tree.
To celebrate, Department of Agricultural Resources Commissioner John Lebeaux and local officials are planning to take part in an annual tree cutting ceremony at Coward Farms in Southwick, which grows Christmas trees for the fresh cut market.
Baker said Christmas tree season in Massachusetts provides hundreds of seasonal jobs at nearly 400 Christmas tree farms on approximately 3,000 acres of land from Cape Cod to the Berkshires.
About $1.4 million is added to the state economy each year from the sale of Massachusetts-grown Christmas trees.
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