User:IvoShandor/Christmas tree farm
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
A Christmas tree farm is a type of tree farm where pine and fir trees are grown, purposely, for use as Christmas trees. Christmas tree farms can be found in many nations and across different continents. Some of the prominent producers of Christmas trees include the United States, Denmark, Canada and Great Britain. Natural Christmas trees do have their opponents, environmentalists cite concerns about chemical herbicide and pesticide use, as well as concerns about biodiversity, among the reasons for their opposition to Christmas tree farms. The industry presents itself as environmentally friendly.
![Thumb image](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/4/4f/Newburgh%2C_ME_Piper_Mountain_Christmas_tree_farm1.jpg/320px-Newburgh%2C_ME_Piper_Mountain_Christmas_tree_farm1.jpg)
Christmas tree farming can be a profitable business venture but often involves hard work and a lot of investment capital to get off the ground. Christmas trees are also vulnerable to numerous deadly pests and infections, including gall adelgids and sudden oak death. The crop's dependence on such environmental issues makes it a risky venture; after years of hard work one natural event can wipe out an entire crop. In the United States, where 35–40 million Christmas trees are grown and harvested annually, the industry was worth $506 million in 2004.