U.S. Census Bureau Daily Feature for December 8

WASHINGTON, Dec. 8, 2011 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Following is the daily "Profile America" feature from the U.S. Census Bureau:

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THURSDAY, DECEMBER 8: CHRISTMAS TREES

Profile America — Thursday, December 8th.  This coming weekend is the time that many households across the U.S. will put up their Christmas trees.  Many will be artificial trees — either bought new or brought from attics and garages to be put back together.  Many other households will buy real evergreen trees.  About three-out-of-four will be pre-cut trees; one –of-four will be self-cut from tree farms.  It's estimated that about half of homes will display an artificial tree — the remainder will either not have a tree or will use a real tree.  Last year, there were 27 million real trees sold and just over 8 million artificial ones.  The average artificial tree lasts about six or seven years.  Christmas trees are grown in all 50 states.  Oregon is the leading producer, while China leads in the production of artificial trees.  Profile America is in its 15th year as a public service of the U.S. Census Bureau.

Sources:  National Christmas Tree Association
U.S. Census Bureau, Facts for Features, CB09-FF.23

Profile America is produced by the Public Information Office of the U.S. Census Bureau. These daily features are available as produced segments, ready to air, on a monthly CD or on the Internet at http://www.census.gov (look for "Multimedia Gallery" by the "Newsroom" button). 

SOURCE U.S. Census Bureau