Deck the halls: 19 million reasons to buy a Maine-grown tree this Christmas

Photo / Renee Cordes The Pine Tree State boasts 115 family-owned farms that grow Christmas trees, including the Old Farm Christmas Tree Place of Maine in Cape Elizabeth. This photo was taken on opening day, when customers could start tagging and buying trees.

Write a Comment

By Renee Cordes

As Mainers begin decking the halls for the holiday season, Gov. Janet Mills is urging residents to buy Maine-grown Christmas trees to support an industry that contributes an estimated $19 million annually to the state’s economy.

“I encourage Maine people to celebrate the season by supporting Maine’s hardworking family farmers and bringing the beauty of a Maine-grown Christmas tree or wreath to your home,” Mills said last week in proclaiming Nov. 28 as Maine Grown Christmas Tree Day.

“Maine’s Christmas tree growers and wreath makers bring joy to people across our state and far beyond, and I thank them for their dedication to spreading holiday cheer,” added Mills, a Democratic candidate for U.S. Senate in 2026.

Maine’s Christmas tree sector, which produces and sells fresh trees and wreaths, employs more than 800 people at 115 family farms that make up the Maine Christmas Tree Association, a Standish-based nonprofit.

In keeping with tradition, Mills will start the month by welcoming award-winning Christmas trees and wreaths from this year's Fryeburg Fair to the Blaine House in Augusta.

The People’s Choice Christmas Tree, selected by fairgoers, will be displayed at the governor’s residence as a symbol of the season and of Maine’s agricultural excellence. Meanwhile, in Portland, the holiday tree on Monument Square, illuminated on Friday, was sourced from a Portland Housing Authority site about half a mile away.

'Natural and renewable'

Dana Doran, executive director of the Professional Logging Contractors of the Northeast, welcomed the governor's recent proclamation and recognition for the state's tree growers.

“While the Christmas tree market is not a direct product of timber harvesting operations, it is important to note that this market is a great example of the utilization of a forest product that is natural and renewable,” he told Mainebiz.

“The more the public can recognize that forest products are important to their lives,” he added, “the greater the understanding and desire to purchase them and support the Maine economy.”