2008 PRESS RELEASES
Click here to e-mail this page to a friend.
November 14, 2008
NEW VIRGINIA CHRISTMAS TREE GUIDE AVAILABLE NOW
Contact: Marion Horsley, 804.225.3820
For many people, the official start of the Christmas season is a trip to a farm to select and cut that special tree to star as the centerpiece of holiday decorating and the setting for singing carols and opening presents. Start the search for your special tree with the new 2008 Virginia Grown Guide to Choose-and-Cut, Fresh-Cut, and Live Christmas Trees. The Virginia Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services (VDACS) has just published the latest edition, which is available free to the public.
The Guide includes information on 73 Christmas tree farms across the state, eleven of them brand new listings, and is a valuable resource to help you select the ideal farm or retail lot for your tree. When you buy a Virginia Grown tree at a local farm, you get much more than a tree alone. You get a day at the farm, you get the freshest tree possible, and you help support your local farmers and community.
“Our family outing to select and cut our own Christmas tree is a highlight of the season for us,” says Todd Haymore, VDACS Commissioner. “It’s a great day in the country, and my daughters have the time of their lives. We select a tree and cut it ourselves, and the girls wear themselves out running around the farm. When we pack them into their car seats to go home, they’re tired, sticky from the free candy canes, and each one is clutching a special ornament that we bought at the farm shop. We sing Christmas songs and carols on the way home and my wife Margaret and I know that we have created another special family memory.”
In this year’s Guide you’ll find an amazing variety of trees, such as Fraser, Douglas, Canaan and concolor fir; Norway and Colorado blue spruce; Scotch, Virginia and white pine; as well as Leyland cypress and cedar. But as Commissioner Haymore noted, you’ll find a whole lot more. Many farms offer hot cider, visits with Santa, hayrides, marshmallow-roasting, animals to pet, coloring books, nature trails, candy canes, a crackling fire, and a special experience called a Day on the Farm. Several Christmas tree operations encourage picnicking and many take great pride in the beauty of their mountain views or woodland settings. Extras like these can turn the search for the perfect Christmas tree into a memorable excursion for family and friends.
Along with their trees, many growers also sell wreaths, garland, holiday greenery, roping, sprays, centerpieces and tree stands. Some also have Christmas shops selling unique decorations, ornaments, handmade crafts, bows, and gifts.
In addition to the basics about each farm, such as hours of operation, directions, and contact information, the Christmas Tree Guide details the services available such as providing handsaws and twine, tree-shaking to remove dead needles, tree-baling or wrapping for easier transport, and assistance cutting your tree, getting it in from the field and to your vehicle.
Freshness is an important feature of every locally-grown Virginia Christmas tree. Freshly-cut trees retain their needles longer and are less flammable than trees brought in from out-of-state, which may be cut as much as a month or more in advance. Find tips in the Guide about caring for both cut and live trees to make sure they add their beauty and fragrance to the holiday celebration for as long as possible.
In Virginia, Christmas tree farming is a major agricultural industry that contributes substantially to the state’s economy and to its healthy environment. As mature trees are cut, new seedlings are planted each year, making Christmas trees one of our most renewable resources. When the holidays end, Christmas trees keep on contributing. Discarded trees enhance the environment because they return to the soil quickly, enriching it during the process of decay.
Virginia’s Christmas tree industry is a participant in the Virginia’s Finest trademark program. Growers whose trees meet standards set by the industry and approved by the Virginia Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services may apply to use the well-known blue check and red A trademark, which signifies the best of the best agricultural products. In the Guide, the trademark is shown next to the listing of growers who have earned the Virginia’s Finest designation.
For a free copy of the 2008 Virginia Grown Guide to Choose-and-Cut, Fresh-Cut, and Live Christmas Trees, send the request to “Christmas Tree Guide,” Virginia Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services, P. O. Box 1163, Richmond, VA 23218, or call 804.786.3935.