Christmas-tree growers tout environmental tag

PORTLAND — Picking a Christmas tree is typically a matter of taste. Is the shape right? Is it too tall? Too short?

And is it "green" enough?

Christmas tree growers have been pushing the environmental benefits of fresh trees over artificial trees for a number of years. Now a handful of Oregon growers have created a system to help consumers identify trees grown under certain environmental standards.

"Consumers like to do the right thing," said Joe Sharp, managing partner of Yule Tree Farms in Canby and co-founder of the Coalition of Environmentally Conscious Growers. "We are just helping with education."

This is the first year the coalition's program will be seen in the market. More than 200,000 tags will hang on trees, indicating the trees were farmed by the coalition's standards.

To pass muster, a farm must be inspected to ensure that it meets certain standards for managing wetlands, nutrients and pests. Water- and soil-conservation measures are reviewed, and biodiversity and worker safety are also considered.

The trees are not organically grown, but the coalition says the measures help mitigate some of the environmental dangers of Christmas-tree farming, such as excessive use of pesticides and contribution to erosion.

"Now when consumers buy a tree, they can be sure that the tree was grown with the best intentions for the environment in mind," Sharp said.

But only a fraction of the trees on corner lots and at garden centers will bear the tag.

The coalition was formed in August, and three large Oregon growers, which harvest more than 2 million trees a year, are part of it. More than a dozen other tree growers are on a waiting list to be inspected and join.

The "safe" trees are sold only by a handful of retailers willing to make the effort to educate consumers about the difference the coalition believes the tag represents.

It is a new twist in a market where products tend to look similar.

"The sustainable certification issue, it's really something that is new this year, although it's been a hot topic on the side for a number of years," said Chal Landgren, an Oregon State University extension agent in Oregon who specializes in Christmas tree and forestry issues.

Other farms have sought awards for good farming practices, and some have sought "Salmon Safe" identification, which indicates their farming practices do not harm the fish.

The coalition is hoping to take the tag system nationwide, providing an edge in the multimillion-dollar business.

Nearly 29 million households bought a fresh Christmas tree in 2006, according to the National Christmas Tree Association. Oregon is the top producer in the country.

Growers nationwide have been launching more aggressive campaigns to defend their market share as they see the sales of artificial trees grow.

Earlier this year, the Oregon Department of Agriculture and growers launched a "Get Real This Christmas" campaign. The National Christmas Tree Association has for several years pushed its campaign of "Nothing Says Christmas More Than a Real Tree." This year it is trying to get people to post videos to YouTube.com explaining why a real tree is best as part of the "Get Real This Christmas" campaign.

The coalition says its environmental effort is more than a public-relations effort.

"I do not believe this is a fad," Sharp said. "Environmentalism is here to stay."