Now that Thanksgiving has come and gone, many people are looking for that perfect Christmas tree.
Odds are, that tree is Wisconsin grown. Cheryl Nicholson with the Wisconsin Christmas Tree Producer's Association says people are already selecting their trees for the holiday. But, what's better, real or fake? Nicholson says the debate is over.
"A real Christmas tree is better for the environment, we grow it as a crop, it produces oxygen, it gives nutrients back to the soil when they decompose, and there's no doubt that the real tree is much better than a fake tree."
Nicholson says the real tree is traditional, with a lot of history in the United States. And she says the real tree fills the home with its wonderful fragrance, with each variety having a different scent. Nicholson says Wisconsin is among the top tree producers in the country, and the industry is great for the economy.
"Wisconsin is ranked 5 th in the number of trees harvested across the nation. And the economic impact of the Christmas tree industry in Wisconsin is around $50-million."
The summer droughts did not negatively affect the tree industry. Nicholson says while the weather has been inconsistent across the state, tree producers were able to adapt. The state produces more than 2-million Christmas trees each year, with about 350,000 of them staying within the Badger State to be sold on retail Christmas tree lots.
AUDIO: Jackie Johnson report (1:30 MP3)
