Santa may have fewer Arkansas-grown trees to stow his presents this year, with the latest Census of Agriculture showing the number of Christmas tree farms in Arkansas declining sharply from 59 in 2007 to just 29 in 2012.
The Census of Agriculture shows the number of acres devoted to Christmas trees in Arkansas also declined from 562 in 2007 to 227 in 2012.
Oregon is the top Christmas tree state, according to the 2012 Census of Agriculture, with 1,517 farms on 53,605 acres. North Carolina was second with 1,370 farms on 40,352 acres and Pennsylvania third with1,360 farms on 31, 577 acres.
“There are a few reasons for the decrease in farms in Arkansas – one is that we don’t have the climate to grow the species that people want such as Noble, Frazier or Douglas firs,” said Tamara Walkingstick, associate director of the Arkansas Forest Resources Center.
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