FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
(Bangor, Maine) - Christmas tree growers from Canada and the U.S. – meeting here at last week’s annual convention of the National Christmas Tree Association (NCTA) – considered ways to fill potential higher demand for farm-raised Christmas trees should the current recall of hazardous Chinese products spill over to include the millions of factory-made Christmas trees imported from China.
“The U.S. imports more than 9 million plastic Christmas trees from China annually,” said NCTA President Beth Walterscheidt, a grower from Elgin, Texas. “These manufactured trees are made partially from oil and PVC, and earlier research uncovered potentially harmful levels of lead dust coming off some of the older artificial trees. We don’t know that artificial trees will be recalled along with numerous other products found to be unsafe recently, but those of us growing natural Christmas Trees need to be prepared to provide fresh, farm-raised trees to families looking for a safe Christmas tree this holiday season.”
According to Harris Interactive, U.S. consumers reported purchasing about 9 million new artificial trees annually for the past three years. About 85 percent of them are manufactured in China. According to the U.S. Department of Commerce, Bureau of Census, the U.S. imported $65 million worth of artificial Christmas trees from China between January and August (2006).
This would not be the first time problems have surfaced in Christmas trees manufactured in Chinese factories.
As recently as 2004, the United States Department of Agriculture recalled some factory-made Christmas trees from China when it was discovered the products contained foreign pests. The recall came after Michigan officials discovered Chinese-made trees infested with Callidiellum villosulum, also known as the Brown Fir Longhorned Beetle, a round–headed wood borer. More than 20 retailers nationwide received a recall notice for the decorative holiday items from Polytree Hong Kong Co. Ltd., a China–based manufacturer.
USDA’s Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) officials consider this beetle a significant quarantine pest of concern because it does not exist in the United States, it attacks live trees, and although its economic impact is unknown, damage could be significant. According to inspectors, the beetle hitchhiked in the center poles of the trees, some of which are made of unprocessed wood. The USDA also suspended imports of craft items from China that contain wooden logs, limbs, branches or twigs greater than 1 centimeter in diameter that have intact bark.
Meanwhile, a December, 2003 article published by the University of Georgia College of Agriculture and Environmental Sciences reported that preliminary research found artificial Christmas trees made with PVC may contain lead. A housing specialist with the university’s Extension Service said researchers studied artificial trees for a month, using weekly wipe samples taken from below the tree and found that two of the used trees with lead in the PVC branch material emitted high levels of lead.
And the hazards posed by plastic Christmas trees are not limited to human health. They pose a danger to environmental health as well.
“Some people believe they’re making an eco-friendly choice by using a factory-made Christmas tree, since a natural tree is not being harvested for them,” said Walterscheidt. “But the opposite is true. No matter how many years you use that plastic tree; it will still eventually end up in a landfill. And we’ve learned recently how damaging to the environment it is when PVC breaks down and enters the eco-system.”
Farm-raised, cut Christmas trees on the other hand are a renewable resource and contain no lead. It is estimated that more than 460 million trees are currently being grown on U.S. farms and growers planted an about 43 million trees in 2007 to replace those harvested the previous year and to supply a growing demand from eco-conscious families.
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National Christmas Tree Association
16020 Swingley Ridge Rd
Suite 300
Chesterfield, MO 63017
636/449-5071
Fax: 636/449-5051
www.RealChristmasTrees.org
