Oregon State Science Pub talk to focus on how to grow a quality Christmas tree, Nov. 8

By Sean Nealon, OSU release – CORVALLIS, Ore. – Oregon State University Extension’s Christmas tree specialist will talk about what it takes to grow a quality Christmas tree at OSU’s Science Pub on Nov. 8. The virtual event, a joint effort of Oregon State University in Corvallis and OSU-Cascades in Bend, will feature a talk by Chal Landgren, a professor in OSU’s College of Forestry at the North Willamette Research and Extension Center in Aurora. His presentation is titled “Your Christmas Tree: What does a grower do in the 7-12 years before you cut a tree?” Many consumers assume Christmas tree growers simply plant a tree, wait eight years and then collect the money, Landgren said. The reality is much different. During his presentation, Landgren will discuss what it takes to grow a quality Oregon-grown tree from seed to final product. Oregon leads the nation in Christmas tree production, with about 375 licensed Christmas tree growers selling about 4.6 million trees a year. The vast majority of Oregon trees are sold in the Pacific Northwest, California, Nevada and Arizona. Most of Oregon’s Christmas trees are grown in and around the Willamette Valley, especially in the foothills of the Coast and Cascade mountain ranges. Landgren, who has grown Christmas trees on a small family farm since 1982, is the author of the OSU Extension publication “Developing Quality Christmas Trees in the Pacific Northwest.” The free Science Pub will run from 6 to 7:30 p.m. The event will be broadcast on YouTube Live. Registration is required and can be completed at https://beav.es/UQh. Sponsors of Science Pub include the OSU Office of Research, OSU-Cascades in Bend and the Oregon Museum of Science and Industry. Connect Central Oregon, a collaborative program with the OSU-Cascades Innovation Co-Lab, will produce the event with student interns.