What happens to all those unsold Christmas trees?

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Story Published: Dec 24, 2009 at 9:10 AM PDT

By Kristina Nelson, KCBY News

COOS BAY, Ore. - They may stay up for a bit more, but some are, no doubt, already on their way out the door. We're talking about those decorated Christmas Trees, but what happens to all those trees that never got sold this Christmas?

According to tree lot owner and manager Harold Thompson, he purchased around 900 trees this year for the lot, at ten dollars a piece.

He's been selling them at thirty-five dollars a piece, but recently reduced the price to twenty to get most of them off the lot.

It's a tactic that didn't really worked out.

"It's been real slow, pretty well everyone who has money has already bought their tree."

Thompson says he'll lose money on every tree that isn't sold.

Which brings us to the next question, where do all those unsold trees end up?

According to Thompson, he donates them to a local rancher in the area.

"He has a farm back over here someplace and he's got a big creek running down through his place, that washes his fields out so he puts wires on the trees and places them on the bank to keep from bank erosion."

Other tree lots end up burning the trees or donating them to organizations like the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife.

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