O'Malley Urges Support Of Local Christmas Tree Farms
SYKESVILLE, Md. (WJZ) -- A lot of businesses depend on the holidays, but one industry can't live without it. Christmas tree farms across the stare are raking it in this weekend.
Adam May reports that they're getting a boost from Maryland's first family.
A lot of businesses depend on the holidays, but one industry can't live without it. Christmas tree farms across the state are raking it in this weekend, and they're getting a boost from Maryland's first family.
For many families, it's a holiday tradition— searching through rows of pine, looking for the perfect Christmas tree.
"I would say today, we'll probably sell a couple thousand trees," said Roger Wolfe, Pine Valley Farms.
Among the long lines and crowd at Pine Valley Farms in Sykesville, Maryland's first family selected a Douglass-fir. It's their second year in a row they've cut their own Christmas tree for the governor's mansion.
"We want to encourage everyone to buy local," said Governor Martin O'Malley. "There are so many good farms across the state, and if you buy locally, you help our farms, our economy, our land, and it's a good thing to do."
Maryland has more than 200 tree farms across the state, some with more than 100,000 fresh trees. Farmers say there's a big difference.
"On most of the retail lots trees have been cut up to a month before they get there, and if they're sitting on asphalt, on warm days it's like an oven and it will dry out the needles," Wolfe said.
And everyone agrees it's better to shake the trees out at a farm than have the mess inside your home.
Last year, Americans spent more than a billion dollars on real Christmas trees. The average price was just over $40.
Click here to find a Christmas tree farm near you.
