Christmas Tree Industry Votes to Continue Research and Promotion Program

The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), Agricultural Marketing Service (AMS), today announced that domestic producers and importers of Christmas trees voted to continue the Real Christmas Tree Board's research and promotion program.

In the referendum held Oct. 1-16, 2026, 52.01% of Christmas tree domestic producers and importers voted in favor of continuing the program. This meets the requirement that a majority vote in favor of the program for it to continue. Domestic producers and importers who produced or imported 500 or more Christmas trees during the representative period of Sep. 1, 2025, through Mar. 15, 2026, were eligible to vote in the referendum.

USDA will conduct another referendum in approximately two years.

The Christmas Tree Promotion, Research, and Information Order, which established the Real Christmas Tree Board program, requires USDA to conduct a continuance referendum every seven years, at the request of 10 percent or more of all eligible Christmas tree domestic producers and importers, or at any time as determined by the Secretary of Agriculture. More information about the program is on the Real Christmas Tree Board page on the USDA AMS website and on the Real Christmas Tree Board website.

The Christmas tree research and promotion program is authorized under the Commodity Promotion, Research and Information Act of 1996. The program was developed to strengthen the position of Christmas trees in the marketplace, maintain and expand markets for Christmas trees, and to carry out programs, plans, and projects designed to provide maximum benefits to the Christmas tree industry within the United States.

Since 1966, Congress has authorized the development of industry-funded research and promotion boards to provide a framework for agricultural industries to pool their resources and combine efforts to develop new markets, strengthen existing markets, and conduct important research and promotion activities. AMS provides oversight of 21 boards, paid for by industry assessments, which helps ensure fiscal accountability and program integrity.

USDA is an equal opportunity provider, employer, and lender.