Wisconsin tree vendors operate as normal during US decline

JANESVILLE — Christmas trees vendors in Wisconsin say returning customers have helped keep their businesses running as usual while the number of trees sold nationally declines.

Wisconsin Christmas Tree Producers Association executive secretary Cheryl Nicholson tells The Janesville Gazette (http://bit.ly/2hPyers ) that the state's sales have been normal, although they've fluctuated in recent years.

She says Wisconsin and the rest of the U.S. sold more trees in the early 2000s. Wisconsin also had nearly 33,500 acres of Christmas trees in 2007 compared to the more than 23,600 acres this year.

Nicholson attributes the decline to the 2008 financial crisis and housing crash because families cut costs.

Vern Nauman, a volunteer at Toeele-in-Nursery in Janesville, says family-owned lots often see the same families year after year.