FORESTRY AND NATURAL RESOURCES

Protecting and Sustaining Oregon Christmas Trees

Chal Landgren, Extension Christmas Tree Specialist, is leading efforts on propagation and testing of new varieties of Christmas trees in Oregon. These include Nordmann, Turkish, and Trojan fir, native to mountainous areas in Turkey.

Strong demand and limited supply keep prices high, encouraging Oregon Christmas tree farmers to grow more trees. But there are always challenges to overcome for farmers in any field. Christmas tree growers in 2018 faced shortages of seedlings, drought-related losses in new plantings, and damaging insects such as twig weevils. Extension Christmas Tree Specialist, Chal Landgren, is on the front lines of efforts to understand the problems and find solutions.