Hey! You’ve heard a lot about Christmas trees. But here are a few facts you’ve probably heard nothing about:
- Americans cut trees from nearby forests during the nineteenth century. But today, they grow real trees like sustainable crops on farms.
- Only 2 percent of Christmas trees are harvested from the wild, while 98% are grown on farms.
- Growing companies plant up to three seedlings for each tree harvested.
- U.S. growers planted 46 million Christmas trees in 2012.
- On average, there are more than 2,000 Christmas trees planted on an acre. It is estimated that just about 1,000-1,500 will thrive. In the north, there may be just as low as 750 trees left.
- The shape of the Christmas tree is almost always achieved by shearing the trees. Trees are ready for harvest if they reach six or seven feet high.
- To successfully grow a mature tree, it takes approximately six to ten years of battling severe weather conditions.
- A Christmas tree is typically cut weeks in advance of being sold in a retail store. Upon reaching your home, they should be watered thoroughly. An average Christmas tree consumes a quart of water a day during its first week in your home.
- Germany was the first country to develop artificial Christmas trees during the 19th century, and the United States followed suit. Goose feathers dyed green were wrapped around wire branches to make these “trees”. A central dowel rod acted as the trunk, and the wire branches were wrapped around it.
- An artificial Christmas tree was first made with brush bristles by Addis Brush Company in 1930. It used the same machinery it uses to make toilet brushes, but dipped them in green dye.
- American manufacturers began making aluminum artificial Christmas trees in 1958 in Chicago.
- PVC plastic is commonly used today for making artificial Christmas trees. They’re not fire-resistant, though they’re fire-retardant. The majority of artificial trees sold worldwide are made in China.
- There were about 10.9 million artificial Christmas trees sold in the U.S. in 2012.