Getting Trees Ready
Getting Trees Ready. I’m Greg Martin with today’s Line On Agriculture.
Oregon Christmas trees are well on their way to other states and countries as harvest and shipping heat up over the next few weeks. It's a frenzy of activity for the Oregon Department of Agriculture inspectors who certify Christmas trees as pest and disease free before those trees leave the state, according to ODA's Gary McAninch.
McANINCH: Yeah, we've already been certifying trees to some what I will refer to as far flung places- Pacific Rim countries in particular- where you've got to put them on a ship, they put them in refrigerated containers, it takes several weeks or maybe three weeks to get the trees to the destinations.
ODA's 11 inspectors are now starting to look at trees destined for Mexico, which is Oregon's top export market for Christmas trees. Mexico has recently removed tariffs on US ag products, such as Christmas trees.
McANINCH: Now that Mexico has dropped that tariff, there are more shippers looking to go back to Mexico. Those that are shipping down there are probably going to be shipping more trees. It's probably starting this year, but I think the big impact will actually next year when they get a full year of no tariff, they'll be able to adjust their sales regiments and they'll take advantage of that.
About 6.4 million Christmas trees were harvested last year in Oregon, which continues to put the state number one in the nation in Christmas tree production. About 87 percent of those trees are sold outside of Oregon, which wouldn't happen without the inspection and certification by ODA. McAninch says many trees have already been harvested and shipped to Pacific Rim countries on a 3-week boat ride in refrigerated containers.
McANINCH: Many of those trees are going into hotels and displays in department stores and whatever. It seems like the Christmas holiday is popular in many other parts of the world besides North America and Europe now.
ODA inspector Bev Clark says she's starting to inspect and certify trees headed for Hawaii, which is careful about letting in trees that might carry certain pests.
CLARK: Hawaii, again, has real concerns with quarantined pests, and snails and slugs are becoming a bigger issue with them.
That’s today’s Line On Agriculture. I’m Greg Martin on the Ag Information Network.
