Christmas tree production in Canada
Encyclopedia
Quebec
Quebec or is a province in east-central Canada. It is the only Canadian province with a predominantly French-speaking population and the only one whose sole official language is French at the provincial level....
, Nova Scotia
Nova Scotia
Nova Scotia is one of Canada's three Maritime provinces and is the most populous province in Atlantic Canada. The name of the province is Latin for "New Scotland," but "Nova Scotia" is the recognized, English-language name of the province. The provincial capital is Halifax. Nova Scotia is the...
and Ontario
Ontario
Ontario is a province of Canada, located in east-central Canada. It is Canada's most populous province and second largest in total area. It is home to the nation's most populous city, Toronto, and the nation's capital, Ottawa....
, which account for 80 percent of Canadian tree production. Of the 900,000 trees produced annually in British Columbia
British Columbia
British Columbia is the westernmost of Canada's provinces and is known for its natural beauty, as reflected in its Latin motto, Splendor sine occasu . Its name was chosen by Queen Victoria in 1858...
, most are cut from native pine stands.
Total production
Around 40 million Christmas treeChristmas tree
The Christmas tree is a decorated evergreen coniferous tree, real or artificial, and a tradition associated with the celebration of Christmas. The tradition of decorating an evergreen tree at Christmas started in Livonia and Germany in the 16th century...
s are cut every year in North America, of that number between 3 and 6 million are cut from Canadian Christmas tree farms and native pine and fir stands annually. The nation's top three producers of Christmas trees, Quebec
Quebec
Quebec or is a province in east-central Canada. It is the only Canadian province with a predominantly French-speaking population and the only one whose sole official language is French at the provincial level....
, Nova Scotia
Nova Scotia
Nova Scotia is one of Canada's three Maritime provinces and is the most populous province in Atlantic Canada. The name of the province is Latin for "New Scotland," but "Nova Scotia" is the recognized, English-language name of the province. The provincial capital is Halifax. Nova Scotia is the...
, and Ontario
Ontario
Ontario is a province of Canada, located in east-central Canada. It is Canada's most populous province and second largest in total area. It is home to the nation's most populous city, Toronto, and the nation's capital, Ottawa....
, account for around 80 percent of all Canadian Christmas tree production. About half of the total harvest is exported each year, mostly to the United States but also to the Caribbean and Central America
Central America
Central America is the central geographic region of the Americas. It is the southernmost, isthmian portion of the North American continent, which connects with South America on the southeast. When considered part of the unified continental model, it is considered a subcontinent...
. Between 1995 and 1997 Canadian Christmas tree exports to Germany increased 380 percent.
In 1995, there were about 126000 acres (509.9 km²) of land, divided over 4,077 farms, in production with Christmas trees in Canada. Five provinces vied for the title of Canada's top Christmas tree producer, three of which were close to each other in terms of percentage of the total national acreage devoted to the crop. The leading provinces in 1995 were Quebec, Nova Scotia, Ontario, British Columbia
British Columbia
British Columbia is the westernmost of Canada's provinces and is known for its natural beauty, as reflected in its Latin motto, Splendor sine occasu . Its name was chosen by Queen Victoria in 1858...
and New Brunswick
New Brunswick
New Brunswick is one of Canada's three Maritime provinces and is the only province in the federation that is constitutionally bilingual . The provincial capital is Fredericton and Saint John is the most populous city. Greater Moncton is the largest Census Metropolitan Area...
. Quebec, Nova Scotia and Ontario all accounted for 22–24 percent of the total national acreage used by Christmas tree production, and together the five leading provinces accounted for 95 percent of all land in production with the crop nationwide. The 1995 total crop numbered 3.2 million trees cut, Quebec provided 32.5 percent of the total trees harvested.
Nearly a decade later, in 2004, Canadian Christmas tree production was at 3.9 million trees cut, a 0.3 percent decrease over the preceding 10 years. The 2004 crop was worth around $62 million, 36.2 million of which came from the 2.5 million trees Canadians exported. The 2004 Christmas tree harvest represented a 3.3 percent decrease when compared to 2003.
Quebec
QuebecQuebec
Quebec or is a province in east-central Canada. It is the only Canadian province with a predominantly French-speaking population and the only one whose sole official language is French at the provincial level....
, along with New England
New England
New England is a region in the northeastern corner of the United States consisting of the six states of Maine, New Hampshire, Vermont, Massachusetts, Rhode Island, and Connecticut...
and the other provinces of Atlantic Canada
Atlantic Canada
Atlantic Canada is the region of Canada comprising the four provinces located on the Atlantic coast, excluding Quebec: the three Maritime provinces – New Brunswick, Prince Edward Island, and Nova Scotia – and Newfoundland and Labrador...
, is a primary producer of Balsam Fir
Balsam Fir
The balsam fir is a North American fir, native to most of eastern and central Canada and the northeastern United States .-Growth:It is a small to medium-size evergreen tree typically tall, rarely to tall, with a narrow conic crown...
trees for use as Christmas trees; the Balsam Fir is one of the most popular species of Christmas tree in North America. Quebec Christmas tree production in 1997 totaled nearly 1.9 million trees, 80 percent of which were exported for sale in the United States and Mexico. The remaining 20 percent of the 97 crop in Quebec was sold locally.
Nova Scotia
The Christmas tree industry in Nova ScotiaNova Scotia
Nova Scotia is one of Canada's three Maritime provinces and is the most populous province in Atlantic Canada. The name of the province is Latin for "New Scotland," but "Nova Scotia" is the recognized, English-language name of the province. The provincial capital is Halifax. Nova Scotia is the...
is worth $30 million per year and involves some 3,500 producers and exporters. The $30 million dollar crop is represented by a harvest of over 1.8 million trees annually, 95 percent of the trees harvested are sold outside the province. The industry provided 500 permanent jobs and seasonal work for 2,500 Nova Scotia workers.
Between the 1996 and 2001 Census of Agriculture the total area devoted to Christmas tree production in Nova Scotia fell 18.1 percent to 23450 acres (94.9 km²). Production was spread out over 535 farms, one-third less than in 1996. Despite the overall decrease in land area for the crop, Nova Scotia led Canada in terms of land used for Christmas tree cultivation. In 1996, Nova Scotia had ranked second behind Quebec in terms of land area devoted to Christmas trees.
Arguably the most famous Christmas tree produced in Nova Scotia is the Boston Tree, which is donated by the province to the people of Boston
Boston
Boston is the capital of and largest city in Massachusetts, and is one of the oldest cities in the United States. The largest city in New England, Boston is regarded as the unofficial "Capital of New England" for its economic and cultural impact on the entire New England region. The city proper had...
in remembrance of the city's response after the infamous Halifax Explosion
Halifax Explosion
The Halifax Explosion occurred on Thursday, December 6, 1917, when the city of Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada, was devastated by the huge detonation of the SS Mont-Blanc, a French cargo ship, fully loaded with wartime explosives, which accidentally collided with the Norwegian SS Imo in "The Narrows"...
. Usually, the Boston Tree is cut from an open stand, where trees are allowed to grow uncontrolled, but occasionally it has been donated by a Christmas tree grower.
Ontario
According to 2001 Canadian agriculture statistics the Christmas tree crop in Ontario covered 30000 acres (121.4 km²) and was worth a total of $8.3 million.British Columbia
Each year about 900,000 Christmas trees are produced in British ColumbiaBritish Columbia
British Columbia is the westernmost of Canada's provinces and is known for its natural beauty, as reflected in its Latin motto, Splendor sine occasu . Its name was chosen by Queen Victoria in 1858...
(BC), most of these trees are cut from native stands and originate in the East Kootenay region of BC. While 75 percent of the trees produced are harvested from native stands those that are grown on plantations are grown by about 450 individual growers. All British Columbian Christmas tree plantations are found in the Fraser Valley
Fraser Valley
The Fraser Valley is the section of the Fraser River basin in southwestern British Columbia downstream of the Fraser Canyon. The term is sometimes used to refer to the Fraser Canyon and stretches upstream from there, but in general British Columbian usage of the term refers to the stretch of the...
, on Vancouver Island
Vancouver Island
Vancouver Island is a large island in British Columbia, Canada. It is one of several North American locations named after George Vancouver, the British Royal Navy officer who explored the Pacific Northwest coast of North America between 1791 and 1794...
, and in the Okanagan
Okanagan
The Okanagan , also known as the Okanagan Valley and sometimes as Okanagan Country is a region located in the Canadian province of British Columbia defined by the basin of Okanagan Lake and the Canadian portion of the Okanagan River. As of 2009, the region's population is approximately 350,927. The...
, Thompson
Thompson-Nicola Regional District, British Columbia
The Thompson-Nicola Regional District is a regional district in the Canadian province of British Columbia. The Canada 2006 Census population was 122,286 and the area covers 45,279 square kilometres. The administrative offices are in the main population centre is the city of Kamloops, which...
and Kootenays
Kootenays
The Kootenay Region comprises the southeastern portion of British Columbia. It takes its name from the Kootenay River, which in turn was named for the Ktunaxa First Nation first encountered by explorer David Thompson.-Boundaries:The Kootenays are more or less defined by the Kootenay Land...
regions.
Other areas
Aside from the main Christmas tree producing provinces of Canada, Christmas trees are grown in smaller numbers in other parts of the county. In 1998, the government of Newfoundland and LabradorNewfoundland and Labrador
Newfoundland and Labrador is the easternmost province of Canada. Situated in the country's Atlantic region, it incorporates the island of Newfoundland and mainland Labrador with a combined area of . As of April 2011, the province's estimated population is 508,400...
instituted a policy aimed at encouraging potential Christmas tree growers to join the fledgling industry. The province imported approximately 17,000 Christmas trees, a $400,000 value, per year, according to 2000 numbers. Between 1998 and 2000 the government held training workshops throughout the province in an attempt to increase the number of local Christmas tree farmers.
The Christmas tree industry in Saskatchewan
Saskatchewan
Saskatchewan is a prairie province in Canada, which has an area of . Saskatchewan is bordered on the west by Alberta, on the north by the Northwest Territories, on the east by Manitoba, and on the south by the U.S. states of Montana and North Dakota....
is small and in the early 21st century was just getting off the ground. The province of Saskatchewan produces about 12,000 Christmas trees per year. The Saskatchewan Christmas Tree Growers Association has 25 members, five of whom reside in Alberta.