The holiday season has arrived and, for many in our community, this means it’s time for the yearly quest to find the perfect Christmas tree. Heading to a local hardware store or “Christmas Tree Lot” pop-up tent was the norm, but recently other options have arisen.

Did you know that rather than buying an out-of-state harvested tree, you can now obtain a Florida-grown native Christmas tree? Indeed, there are multiple options to either harvest your own tree from an actual Florida Christmas tree farm or purchase a potted Florida native tree to decorate and then replant in your yard. These alternatives are more sustainable and provide an opportunity to support local and state businesses that are still recovering from the COVID-19 pandemic, supply chain disruptions, and recent natural disasters.

Potential tree species available include Southern Red Cedar, Longleaf Pine, Dahoon Holly, Leyland Cypress, and Slash Pine. These trees have the added benefits of being acclimated to our local environment without the problems inherent to out-of-state trees, such as poor salt or wind tolerance and increased susceptibility to local tree pests and disease.

Learn more about Florida native Christmas trees:

• Christmas Tree Farms in Florida - Florida Department of Agriculture & Consumer Services (fdacs.gov)
• Florida Christmas Tree Association (flchristmastrees.com)
• Living Christmas Trees - University of Florida, Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences (ufl.edu)