TRAVERSE CITY -- Family tradition is expected to trump pocketbook worries when it comes to celebrating the season with Michigan-grown Christmas trees.
The slumping economy's effect on pine and fir sales surely is on growers' minds, but the industry remains confident in consumers' dedication to fresh-cut trees, said Marsha Gray, executive director of the Michigan Christmas Tree Association.
"We have found in difficult economic years, or when there's some sort of unrest, worry about the war, quite often people don't travel," Gray said. "They stay home, they celebrate with their families, and they need a Christmas tree to do that."
Wholesalers may face the biggest challenge, given the number of trees grown and shipped outside of Michigan, Gray said. Michigan ranks third in the U.S. in the number of Christmas trees harvested, and every year supplies approximately 3 million fresh Christmas trees to the national market. No other state produces more Christmas tree varieties.
"Our wholesalers are feeling the pinch more, with the increased fuel, and fertilizer costs were high this year. Margins will be a little tight this year," she said. "But we will still sell ... I'm not going to make predictions of a banner year, but we think it will be strong year."
Locally, tree farmers are optimistic. Those who offer "choose and cut" trees say families look forward to trekking through their stands of trees each year.
"Taking the family out and experiencing the tradition of going and finding a tree -- you take a sled and go out and cut your tree down and drag it back -- I think it's something a child remembers forever," said Chris Maciborski, co-owner of Dutchman Tree Farms in Manton.
Many of the state's tree farms also offer extras like hot chocolate and sleigh rides. At Dutchman Tree Farms, for example, Maciborski's wife Sarah operates a petting zoo for children.
Finding the perfect Christmas tree experience is a bit easier, too, after the Michigan Christmas Tree Association re-vamped its Web site this year to include choose and cut farm, wholesale and retail lot maps. Directories are at www.mcta.org.
Consumers who aren't interested in cutting their own trees have plenty of options for the real deal. Numerous tree lots in the area carry pre-cut trees as well as handmade wreaths, garland and other greenery.
Komrska Farms grows its trees in Grawn and near Buckley and has had a retail tree lot for the past three decades at Leoni's near 14th Street and Veterans Drive in Traverse City.
"We have all kinds of trees, and we even have a new kind -- Korean fir," said Ben Komrska, who is carrying on his family's 56-year-old tree farming business. "It's very unique tree, very nice fragrance to it. It's very soft, but holds its needles real well. It has more of the old-fashioned look to it, and yet it has a really nice fragrance."
Like the Frasier fir, the Korean fir is a popular, higher-priced tree compared to the tried-and-true Scotch pine. Tree farmers say shoppers can expect to pay about $15 to $20 more for fir trees.
Gray acknowledged that price will be a concern for tree-buyers, but won't prevent purchases.
"We feel we have a lot to offer in different price points," she said.
Local tree growers agreed, even saying that sluggish economy could spur natural tree purchases over buying artificial.
"Our market has slowly been increasing over the years with the people going away from artificial trees," Komrska said. "It appears that more of the younger people have been coming in to buy fresh or natural trees rather than go to the artificial tree. They say, 'We have family coming up and we want to have that real smell in our house.' We hear that more often."
Maciborski also expects to see people continue to turn from artificial this year.
"It's going to cost them more to pay for artificial than it is for a fir," he said. "Why buy a tree in a box? You can pay between $25 and $75 for a real tree that smells nice. "
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