Congressman Doc Hastings

Washington, Dec 14, 2012 - An estimated 25 to 30 million Christmas trees will be displayed in homes and businesses across the United States this holiday season. While people often admire the beauty of these trees, it can be easy to forget that they are an important natural resource and home-grown Washington product.

Forestry has long been an important part of our state’s heritage. It should come as no surprise that thanks to ideal growing conditions, Washington state ranks in the top six states for Christmas tree production in the nation. Appropriately named the Evergreen State, Washington is home to more than 300 Christmas tree farms. Roughly two million Christmas trees are sold in our state each year, making these farms an important part of our economy during the holiday season and beyond.

Christmas trees serve as a reminder that trees truly are a renewable resource. Local Christmas tree farmers – while on a much smaller scale than our national forests – employ responsible management practices of these treasured Pacific Northwest lands. In fact, for every Christmas tree harvested, one to three seedlings are planted the following year.

As a testament to Washington’s quality Christmas trees, the U.S. Capitol Christmas Tree for 2013 will come from the Colville National Forest. Each year, the Capitol Christmas Tree is selected from one of the nine national regions of the U.S. Forest Service and is lit by the Speaker of the House at an annual ceremony. This holiday tradition has existed since 1964, and next year will be the second time that Washington has provided the official Capitol Christmas Tree.

I believe it is truly special that so many Washington state Christmas trees are the centerpiece for holiday gatherings. We can all take pride in sharing a part of our state’s impressive forestry heritage with the rest of the nation.