THUNDER BAY – Ontario is celebrating the first anniversary of its official Christmas Tree Day and the hardworking farmers that help people across the province deck the halls with local trees and greenery each year.
Minister of Natural Resources and Forestry Kathryn McGarry and Minister of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs Jeff Leal today commemorated Christmas Tree Day, taking place on December 3 this year, and promoted the benefits of locally-grown trees at Chickadee Farms in Puslinch.
Ontario’s Christmas tree industry employs thousands of workers in the farming, transportation and retail sectors, and generates $11.3 million in sales annually. 647 Christmas tree farms in the Greenbelt and across the province, sustainably produce more than one million Christmas trees each year, while planting the same number of seedlings for future harvests.
The province continues to support the Christmas tree industry, including through its Ontario Wood brand, helping to promote and expand this growing sector. The Ontario Wood tag marks locally-grown trees at tree farms and local retailers, helping people support Ontario Christmas tree growers when choosing a tree.
Supporting farmers and promoting locally-grown products is part of Ontario’s plan to create jobs, grow our economy and help people in their everyday lives.
Quick Facts
- In 2015, Ontario passed the Christmas Tree Day Act, 2015 proclaiming the first Saturday of December each year as Christmas Tree Day.
- Finding your perfect tree is easy. Follow these tips.
- If you are not sure which type of tree to pick, try our online tree quiz.
- Ontario exported 22,000 Christmas trees in 2015 valued at $472,760.
- Ontario Christmas trees are all-natural, environmentally-friendly and 100 per cent biodegradable.
- Every acre of planted Christmas trees produces enough daily oxygen for 18 people. Christmas tree farms cover 14,715 acres of land across Ontario.
- It takes eight to 10 years to grow an eight-foot Christmas tree, depending on the species.
- Ontario’s forest industry is a major employer in the province and the fourth largest manufacturing sector, supporting more than 170,000 jobs and contributing more than $11 billion to the provincial economy.
- Ontario’s Greenbelt protects 8,000 square kilometres (nearly two million acres) of green space, farmland, vibrant communities, forests, wetlands and watersheds in the Greater Golden Horseshoe area.
