Forestry & Finance: The Economics of U.S. Christmas Tree Farms

F.R.E. Lunch: The Food and Resource Economics Podcast

As temperatures drop this December, we sat down with Dr. Jamie Dinkins Bookwalter and Dr. Will Kohlway, two Christmas tree specialists from North Carolina State Extension. Join us for the final episode of 2024 as we discuss the economic impacts of the forestry industry, the ecosystem services forests provide, the unique Christmas Tree farm industry in North Carolina, and how North Carolina's Christmas tree farms were impacted by Hurricane Helene this year.
Additional Resources:

• NC State Extension - Christmas Trees Program
• Dr. Jamie Bookwalter - Directory Page
• Dr. Will Kohlway - Directory Page

Statistics from Today's Episode:

• Oswalt , S. (2019, April). The state of the Forest. USDA.
• Florida Forests. Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services.
• (December 2023) 2023 U.S. Forestry Economic Contributions by State. Arkansas Center for Forest Business.
• (November 2024). Christmas tree: plans among U.S. consumers in 2024. Statista.
• (November 2021). Time to put up the Christmas tree in the United States 2021. Statista.
• (January 2024) 2023 Season Recap. National Christmas Tree Association.
• (November 2024) Christmas tree: plans among U.S. consumers in 2024, by age group. Statista.
• Ferrell, J. & Richardson, S. (December 2024) Real v. Artificial: The Christmas Tree Decision. Red River Radio.
• (November 2024) Planned expenditure for Christmas decorations in the United States 2024. Statista.
• Camberg, N. (December 2024). Mapped: Where US Christmas trees come from. WMTW.

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The opinions expressed by guests on this podcast are their sole responsibility do not represent positions, policies or opinion of the University of Florida, UF/IFAS, or the UF/IFAS Department of Food and Resource Economics.
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