Christmas Tree Facts - Bonus Math Challenge

• Christmas trees have been sold commercially in the United States since about 1850.
• In 2002, Oregon, North Carolina, Michigan, Pennsylvania, Wisconsin, Washington, New York, and Virginia were the top Christmas tree producing states. Oregon was the leading producer of Christmas trees – 6.5 million in 2002.
• The best selling trees are Scotch pine, Douglas fir, Noble fir, Fraser fir, Virginia pine, Balsam fir and white pine.
• More than 2,000 trees are usually planted per acre. On an average 1,000-1,500 of these trees will survive. In the North, maybe, 750 trees will remain.
• In the United States, there are more than 21, 000 Christmas tree growers.
• In the United States, there are more than 12,000 cut-your-own farms.
• The first decorated Christmas tree was in Riga, Latvia in 1510.
• The first Christmas tree retail lot in the United States was started in 1851 in New York by Mark Carr.
• Christmas trees take an average of 7-10 years to mature.
• Christmas trees are grown in all 50 states including Hawaii and Alaska.
• 100,000 people are employed in the Christmas tree industry.
• 98 percent of all Christmas trees are grown on farms.
• In 1856 Franklin Pierce, the 14th President of the United States, was the first President to place a Christmas tree in the White House.
• President Coolidge started the National Christmas Tree Lighting Ceremony on the White House lawn in 1923.
• In 2002, 21% of United States households had a real tree, 48% had an artificial tree and 32% had no tree.
• Thomas Edison’s assistant, Edward Johnson, came up with the idea of electric lights for Christmas trees in 1882.
• Christmas tree lights were first mass produced in 1890.
• In the first week, a tree in your home will consume as much as a quart of water per day.
• An acre of Christmas trees provides for the daily oxygen requirements of 18 people.
• 2-3 seedlings are planted for every harvested Christmas tree.
• In 2004 sixty million Christmas tree seedlings were planted by Christmas tree farmers.
• 30-35 million Real Christmas Trees are sold in the U.S. every year.