Prince George, B.C. – For those who love to have a real Christmas tree in their home, this is a big weekend for selecting and decorating one.

 

According to Statistics Canada, Christmas Tree farms across the country recorded  $56.6 million in sales last year. That is down about 2% from the $57.6 million in sales  in 2009. In fact, the sales of fresh trees have declined by nearly 16% since 2000.

 

As for exporting Christmas trees,   Canadians exported 1.77 million Christmas trees last year, with a value of $28.4 million. Of that amount nearly $26 million worth (1.6 million trees) went to the United States, with the remainder shipped mainly to Panama, Venezuela, Netherlands Antilles, Bermuda and Aruba.

 

All provinces, with the exception of Alberta and Newfoundland and Labrador, exported Christmas trees in 2010. B.C. exported 12,787 trees worth just over $36 thousand dollars. It was the Province of Quebec that exported the most, shipping 808,361 trees valued at $14.7 million dollars, out of the country.