The Province is encouraging residents to support local farms this Christmas
By Diego Flammini
Assistant Editor, North American Content
Farms.com
As many families across Ontario choose the perfect Christmas tree to complete their holiday décor, the provincial government is encouraging people to buy from local tree farms.
Saturday, December 3 marks the second annual Christmas Tree Day in the province. To kick off the celebrations, OMAFRA and the Ministry of Natural Resources and Forestry visited Chickadee Farms in Puslinch.
"I can’t think of a better way to begin the holiday season than celebrating Ontario’s second annual Christmas Tree Day,” Ontario Minister of Agriculture Jeff Leal said in a release. “This holiday season, I encourage you to enjoy all of the great things Ontario has to offer, from our locally-grown Christmas trees to our tasty food and beverages.”
A brief look at Christmas trees in Ontario:
- Ontario passed the Christmas Tree Day Act in 2015, making the first Saturday in December Christmas Tree Day.
- The Christmas tree industry generates $11.3 million in sales annually.
- Last year, 22,000 Christmas trees were exported, valued at $472,760.
- It can take up to 10 years to grow a Christmas tree, depending on the species.
- Christmas tree farms cover 14,715 acres of land in Ontario.
When a tree is purchased from a local farm, it can have a domino effect on other industries and the environment.
“Christmas trees turn carbon dioxide into oxygen, provide jobs for people in our province and are a central part of many family homes during the Christmas season,” said Kathryn McGarry, Minister of Natural Resources and Forestry, in the release.