Christmas trees are big business in Indiana County, but sales are falling.

Indiana – It’s that time of year for J.D. Fleming, Mark Musser and the other Christmas tree growers in Indiana County, a two-month window when years of planting, pruning and protecting thousands of shrubby conifers finally turns into pay-day.

“The season starts Nov. 1, and it doesn’t end until the last customer buys a tree on Dec. 24,” said Fleming, co-owner of Fleming’s Christmas Tree Farms, which sells pre-cut and cut-it-yourself trees grown on about 450 acres in and around the town of Indiana.

Pennsylvania is a leader in the production and sale of Christmas trees, ranking fourth nationally in total acreage and trees planted and second in total number of farms with sales, according to a 2007 survey by the National Christmas Tree Association. The industry has a long history in Indiana County, beginning around the 1920s, when a group of locals began to farm spruces and pines with the objective of exploiting the rapidly expanding market for Christmas trees in the United States. The trees grew quickly and healthily in the higher altitude and lime-rich soil of Indiana and the area eventually acquired the unofficial title as the “Christmas Tree Capital of the World.”

Roy Fleming, J.D.’s father, planted his first seedling in 1945, and built the business into a family name around the area. Thousands of people make the pilgrimage each winter to choose a tree and cut it down themselves, with more than a few driving hundreds of miles annually because of the relationship they’ve established with the Flemings and the experience of finding the “perfect” tree from amongst the countless evergreens standing in long, neat rows on the Fleming’s farm.

Even with the notoriety, business is not what it once was at Fleming’s or any of the other storied Christmas tree farms in Indiana. J.D. Fleming said his wholesale sales were down 20 percent over last year. Mark Musser, co-owner of Musser Forests Inc., which has plantings on about 6,000 acres, said demand had declined five percent annually for as long as he’s been in the business, but that in the past two years, total sales had plummeted by 30 percent.

“During the height of the market, we were selling 85,000 or more per year,” Musser said. “We’re now at the 25,000 mark. And we’re not the only ones seeing the decline. In fact, I can’t tell you I know of anyone whose sales are increasing.”

Musser names a number of causes for the decline, including the rise in popularity of artificial trees, the ability of people to travel and gather in a common place (thus necessitating fewer trees to celebrate with) and the lessening of importance of the holiday in American culture.

J.D. Fleming has battled a downturn in Christmas tree sales by making his farm more visitor-friendly.

“Is the steady decline a definite trend? Absolutely,” Musser said. “The more interesting question to me is, will it continue, or has it bottomed out? That’s anyone’s guess.”

Further damaging the industry in Pennsylvania has been the shift in people’s taste in trees. Fifty years ago, Americans preferred the Scotch pine, a species that grew naturally in Pennsylvania; today, the Douglas fir, a Western tree that is more difficult to grow in Pennsylvania, reigns as the king of Christmas trees. Making matters worse is that prices for trees haven’t changed significantly since the 1980s, which has driven many Indiana tree growers out of business.

“A lot of people have just abandoned their farms, just walked away from them,” Musser said. “They just don’t see a way to make a profit.”

Deer also represent a huge problem for Christmas tree growers.

“It’s their favorite food,” Fleming said. “They once did $85,000 worth of damage in one year.”

Rare is the person who goes into Christmas tree farming these days, Musser added.

“The overhead is large, both in money and in time,” he said. “Land, seeding, spraying for pests and diseases, labor, insurance, fuel, reclamation on land, plus waiting for 14 to 20 years to see a penny of profit – it all adds up.”

Undeterred, both Fleming and Musser say they will continue the tradition of growing Christmas trees in Indiana County. To continue to do so, they have adapted to the changed landscape. Fleming’s has added features to his farm such as horse-drawn wagon rides, a kids area including bouncy room, a gift shop and several photo cutouts.

“Our retail sales are increasing, and I attribute that to what we do here to make it a special moment for the individuals and families that come here to get their trees,” Fleming said. “We greet them when they drive in with a smile on our faces. We have lots of things to do here, lots of family activities. We give them the time and freedom to find the tree that’s right for them. And when they’ve found it, we send them off with a friendly wave goodbye.”

Musser, whose grandfather, Fred, was among the first to grow Christmas trees in Indiana, said the company’s nursery operations represented the bread and butter of its business. Whether out of tradition or stubbornness, he said he has no intentions of stopping the Christmas tree side of the operation.

“Pride is a huge factor,” Musser said, “For Indiana and for the family name.”