WMBCTV: Amid National Shift to Artificial Trees, Local Farms Continue Live Christmas Tree Sales

Rows of evergreen trees line the lot at Heaven Hill in Sussex County - the scent of pine hangs in the air as families walk between branches, the sound of footsteps crunching beneath them while they search for a Christmas tree to take home for the holidays. Nationally, fewer families are choosing real trees with 83 percent of U.S. households displaying a Christmas tree this season will use an artificial one. This is according to the American Christmas Tree Association that says convenience, cost and reusability continue to drive that trend. Despite national trends, many say New Jersey has a robust Christmas tree industry with local farms providing fresh-cut trees in an effort to encourage family traditions.

“It’s great to see the families come out with the kids and they’re all running around trying to pick out the perfect tree,” said Cathy Andresen, Office Manager, Heaven Hill Farm. “Some of them are really funny because they’re super quick, they all decide really quickly on which tree they like and some of them take a little bit more time to do it… there really is something special about having a live tree - the smell, the feel, the touch, everything about it just brings back nostalgic memories.”

Visitors move from tree to tree, brushing branches, measuring height and choosing the one that fits their space. Officials say Heaven Hill Farm has been selling Christmas trees for generations and that they see many customers return year after year, often bringing new family members along.

“It’s nice to see the people that do come in and say this is the only place they’ll go and come every year to get their tree,” said Andresen. “They know we have the same fellas loading the trees so they recognize each other so it’s nice to see that. We’re also getting a lot of people traveling maybe an hour or more because fresh tree lots are getting harder to find so we are finding people that are coming from longer distances because we are open here.”

Officials here at Heaven Hill Farm say it’s not too late to get your tree and that they will continue selling Christmas trees up until Christmas Eve.