By Lucas Willard
http://stream.publicbroadcasting.net/production/mp3/wamc/local-wamc-995317.mp3
Pittsfield, MA –
Thanksgiving is over and Christmas Tree season has officially begun. Growing the trees continues to bring home the green, with an estimated $1.8 million brought into the Massachusetts economy each year. Massachusetts is mostly home to small growers. The tree farms in the area are usually family run, but some may employ a handful of workers.
Ioka Valley Tree Farm in Hancock employs about 16 people and sells about 800 trees a season. Melissa Leab from Ioka Valley says the demand for trees is there despite the recession.
Weather is the biggest determent to the natural tree business, and the effects of an early ice storm or rainy weekend can be felt hardest at cut-your-own operations. And of course, artificial Christmas trees will always compete with the natural variety.
But natural grown trees from local farms help out the environment. Christmas trees provide wildlife habitat, keep the soil in place, and preserve open space. Keeping the Berkshires green is important for the local economy, especially the tourism sector. Many families from out of state drive to Western Mass to purchase their Christmas Tree. Stephen Sheppard, a professor of Economics at Williams College noticed some on his drive home after Thanksgiving.
Nathan L'Etoile, Assistant Commissioner of the Massachusetts Department of Agricultural Resources, says one reason why the Christmas Tree industry has stayed afloat, aside from tradition, is the increased efforts of consumers buying local.
Most of the trees in the U.S. are grown in the Pacific Northwest. Enormous growers have seen falling numbers on a much greater scale than small Massachusetts growers. Earlier this year, there was a proposed 15-cent assessment placed on trees sold by growers that sold more than 500 trees. The fee would benefit the ailing Christmas Tree industry across the US similarly to the "Got Milk" campaign in the dairy industry.
On Black Friday Gov. Deval Patrick suggested another name, "Green Friday" - dedicated to raising awareness for sustainable agriculture and local farms.
And if you are looking for a local Christmas tree this year, be sure to look at the Department of Agricultural Resources directory of growers, at Mass.gov/mass grown.