Oregon is the leading producer of Christmas trees in the nation, accounting for about a third of all real Christmas trees sold in the U.S. Christmas tree farmers in Oregon grew more than 3 million Noble fir, Douglas fir and other Christmas tree varieties in 2023, the most recent year for which statistics are available. 

Priya Rajarapu is an assistant professor in the college of forestry at OSU and the Christmas tree specialist at OSU Extension Service. In the past year, she has visited 20 Christmas tree farms in Oregon where she has offered advice, diagnosed diseased trees and confirmed infestations of bark beetles and other pests. 

But the biggest threat Oregon’s roughly $120 million Christmas tree industry faces is climate change, according to Rajarapu. Extreme heat and drought can imperil the survival of Christmas trees, especially seedlings. Rajarapu has been studying mulch alternatives like compost that has been shown to boost the survival of seedlings during their first year.

Rajarapu joins us for more details about her work and why non-native varieties such as Nordmann and Turkish firs are gaining in popularity among both farmers and consumers.