The Ohio Christmas Tree Industry
Who Are We and Where Are We Going?

Special Circular 158-98

Demographics of Ohio Christmas Tree Producers

Number of Producers, Number of Trees, Size of Operation

In 1994 there were 552 Christmas tree producers in Ohio growing an average of 17,009 trees for a total of 9.39 million trees (Table 1). Of the 552 producers, 279 (50.5 percent) were Ohio Christmas Tree Association members growing an average of 24,995 trees for a total of 6.97 million trees. Another 273 producers were not Ohio Christmas Tree Association members, and they averaged 8,849 trees for a total of 2.42 million trees. By comparison, in 1981 when the last survey was done (Brown, 1983), there were 498 producers growing an average of 17,821 trees for a total of 8.87 million trees. Of the 498 producers in 1981, 237 (46.2 percent) were Ohio Christmas Tree Association members growing an average of 28,996 trees for a total of 6.87 million trees; 261 were not Ohio Christmas Tree Association members, and they averaged 7,674 trees for a total of 2.0 million trees.

At least two things are apparent. First, either there has been little change in the size of Ohio's Christmas tree producing industry in the last decade and a half, or, if there has been, it has returned very nearly to its early 1980s size. Second, while members of the Ohio Christmas Tree Association constitute only about half of the total Ohio producers, they grow a high percentage of the total trees produced (74 percent). This fact is further emphasized by looking at the size distribution of Ohio producers (Table 2).

There are substantially fewer Ohio Christmas Tree Association members than nonmembers managing 10,000 trees or less (156 vs 218). Fifty of the fifty-seven producers with 26,000 trees or more are Association members, and all nine producers with more than 100,000 trees are Association members. It is also interesting to note that just as the number of producers and total number of trees in 1994 were similar to that in 1981, the size distribution of the industry in 1994 is very similar to that in 1981 (right four columns of Table 2). It should be noted, however, that the average size of operation of Ohio Christmas Tree Association members, 24,995 trees, is somewhat misleading (Table 1). If the nine largest producers are deleted (>100,000 trees), the average size of operation for Ohio Christmas Tree Association members drops to 19,205 trees.

Distribution of Producers and Trees

Figure 1 presents the distribution of Ohio Christmas tree plantations and trees by county and identifies the geographic areas reported in Table 3. Table 3 presents the distribution of plantations and trees by geographic areas of the state identical with those used by Brown in the 1981 survey (Brown, 1983). Data in Figure 1 and Table 3 are the actual plantation and tree numbers reported in the survey and have not been expanded from the sample to estimate the total trees and plantations within the counties or areas. The expansion coefficients used in this study were developed from statewide data and their application to smaller geographic areas could be quite misleading. Note also that Figure 1 and Table 3 present the number of plantations reported in each county and area, not the number of producers. Three hundred seventy-three producers responded to the questionnaire; three hundred ninety-five plantations are identified in Figure 1 and Table 3. Twenty-two Ohio producers have plantations in more than one county.

Figure 1. Distribution of Ohio Christmas Tree Plantations and Trees by County and Geographic Areas Summarized in Table 3.
LEGEND a/b a: Number of plantations in the county that were actually reported in the survey b: Number of trees in the county that were actually reported in the survey

As in 1981 (Brown, 1983), most of Ohio Christmas tree plantations (70 percent) and the greatest proportion of trees (85 percent) are located in the eastern half of the state, with 51 percent of the plantations and 54 percent of the trees in the northeastern quarter of the state. As in 1981, the 14-county area centered around Carroll County¹ can be identified as the largest center of production. In 1994 this area contained 32.4 percent of Ohio's producers and 45.6 percent of Ohio's trees; in 1981 it contained 37 percent of the producers and 36 percent of the trees. If adjacent Medina County is added, the contiguous 15-county area accounts for 37.7 percent of Ohio's plantations and more than 50 percent of Ohio's trees.

Table 3 highlights what appears to be a substantial difference in average producer size between eastern and western Ohio, with producers in eastern Ohio averaging almost two and one-half times as many trees (17,233) as producers in western Ohio (7,210). However, this difference in size may not be as meaningful as it appears. All of the Christmas tree producers with more than 100,000 trees who responded to the survey are located in eastern Ohio. If their trees are deleted from the data, the average size of an eastern Ohio Christmas tree grower drops to 11,821.

While Table 3 suggests that the number of plantations and trees and the size of operations have not changed substantially in eastern Ohio, there have been some changes in western Ohio. These changes are most notable in northwestern Ohio where the number of plantations more than doubled, now accounting for 17 percent of the state total, and the average size of operation decreased substantially from 10,148 trees in 1981 to 6,418 in 1994. In southwestern Ohio the number of producers in 1981 and 1994 were essentially the same (51 vs 52), but the total number of trees, and therefore average size, decreased substantially from 14,373 to 8,230.

Producer Age and Experience

The average age of Ohio Christmas tree producers is 52 years. Seventeen percent are less than 40 years old, 55 percent are between 40 and 60 years old, and 28 percent are over 60. The experience levels of Ohio producers in 1994 and 1981 are presented in Figure 2. In 1994 producers averaged 11.5 years of experience; in 1981 they averaged 9.6 years of experience. This similarity is, however, somewhat misleading. While the number of producers with more than 15 years of experience in 1994 and 1981 is similar (28 percent vs 30 percent), the number of producers with 5-15 years of experience was dramatically higher in 1994 (60 percent vs 29 percent), and the number of producers with less than five years of experience was markedly higher in 1981 (40 percent vs 12 percent). Looking at it in terms of knowledge and experience accumulated, in 1994, 71 percent of the producers had completed at least one rotation (eight years experience), while in 1981 only 47 percent had completed one rotation.

Figure 2. Experience Level of Ohio Christmas Tree Producers 1981 versus 1994

The age and experience data suggest that there may be major changes in Ohio's Christmas tree industry in the next 10 to 20 years. Certainly, most of the producers over 60 years of age and many of those in the 40- to 60-year age range will retire from Christmas tree production. These two age groups include 83 percent of Ohio's producers, and obviously those with the most experience. They are also the all-important mentors of younger producers. While age data is not available for the 1981 survey, a comparison of the experience levels in 1981 and 1994 suggest that the grower population in 1981 was substantially younger, or at least more evenly distributed among age classes. Certainly if Ohio's Christmas tree industry is to maintain or expand its production, it would seem that new, younger producers must join the industry to offset the inevitable attrition in the next 10 to 20 years of a large number of older producers.

As Figure 3 shows, there are some slight differences in the level of experience of Ohio Christmas Tree Association members as compared with nonmembers. Most notably, there are fewer Ohio Christmas Tree Association members with less than five years experience and more with 11 to 15 years experience.

Figure 3. Experience Level of Ohio Christmas Tree Producers OCTA versus NON-OCTA MEMBER

Employment, Income, and Method of Sale

It will come as news to no one that Ohio's Christmas tree industry is predominately a part-time industry. Ninety percent of Ohio producers are part-time, with 66 percent employed at another job and 23 percent retired from another job. Ten percent are full-time Christmas tree producers, with half of these being retired from another job.

As would be expected with a predominately part-time industry, slightly more than 80 percent of the producers derive less than 10 percent of their total income from Christmas trees, and 63 percent derive less than 5 percent of their income. Only five percent of Ohio's producers receive 30 percent or more of their total income from Christmas tree production.

It is also no surprise that, in terms of grower participation, Ohio's Christmas tree industry is predominately retail, with 47 percent of the producers receiving more than three-fourths of their Christmas tree revenue from retail sales (33.5 percent from choose and cut), and only nine percent receiving more than three-fourths of their Christmas tree revenue from wholesale sales. The retail nature of the industry is further emphasized by looking in Table 4 at the percent of producers participating in different forms of sales. Note that since some producers use more than one method of sale, the percentages in the table do not add to 100 percent.