New Hampshire-Vermont Christmas Tree Association January 2005

Special pointsof interest:

Group Buying Program:The NHVTCTA has available groupbuying opportunities on several items,including Christmas tree boxes, chemi-cals and other supplies. Contact JimHorst at (802) 447-1900 for info.

Membership Notices:Annual membership notices weremailed along with an agenda and sign-up for the Winter Meeting in Barre onJan. 25. Please return both as soon aspossible.

Sales Move Up:The National Christmas TreeAssociation reports that in itspre-season consumer tracking poll,consumers said they would purchasebetween 24 million and 24.5 millionReal Christmas Trees in 2004.Thisrepresents about one million morepurchases than in the 2003 season.NCTA will release initial consumertracking poll data for the 2004 salesseason at the CT PLUS conference,February 19-21, in Fort Myers, Florida.

Inside this issue:

President’s Message 2

Association Contact Information 2

Member Tips:Taxes 4

Research Report: Insecticide Options 6

Editor’s Desk 7

Education Opportunity 8

2004 Weed Management Review 9

Winter Meeting Agenda 11

Exotic Firs 12

The two certainties in life (atleast for Christmas tree growers)will both be on the agenda at theNHVTCTA Winter Meeting, heldin conjunction with the VermontFarm Show in Barre, January 25.(Trees and wreaths can bedropped off the day of theShow—Tuesday—this year, seePresident’s Message, page 2.)

Deer (and moose) damagewill be the topic of a presentationby John Buck of the VermontDept. of Fish and Wildlife and RobCalvert of the New HampshireFish and Game Dept. They’ll dis-cuss what these four-legged crea-tures find appetizing, and the var-ious laws governing deer control.They’ll also touch on availablefinancial assistance for both dam-age compensation and prevention.

Peter Mollica will take on theweighty topic of taxes with a lookat how Christmas tree growerscan save (or cost) themselvesmoney based on the taxationstrategies they choose. Peter willeven be available after his talk forone-on-one consultations.

Other topics on the well-rounded agenda include a recapby Ron Kelly (Vermont Dept. ofForests and Parks) of insect anddisease problems in 2004, with alook to what might be in store for2005; an examination of invasiveplants in Christmas tree opera-tions by Jeff Taylor of VegetationControl Service; and a recap ofthe 2004 sales season. Last butnot least, attendees will be treat-ed to the Canadian Club’s nowlegendary roast beef lunch.

Winter Meeting: Deer and Taxes

After several years of declin-ing use of Real Christmas Trees,the National Christmas TreeAssociation (NCTA) launched anaggressive, multi-media market-ing and promotion campaign intime to impact the 2004 sellingseason. Members and non-mem-bers donated nearly $900,000 forthe RealTreeMarketExpansionCampaign.

“While wedidn’t achieveour fundinggoals, we wereexcited with the opportunity toimplement many of our plannedmarketing programs,” said IrwinLoiterstein, a St. Louis retailerand chairman of the NCTAMarket Expansion Task Force.

NCTA Market Expansion Plan Review

continued on page 10

Donors were given anenhanced Marketing Tool Kit thatthey could use in their local mar-kets. The campaign also featureda “Help Santa Find the PerfectReal Christmas Tree” nationalcontest; an Internet game called“The Attack of Mutant ArtificialTrees;” an electronic greeting

card; prerecorded publicservice announcementsdelivered to both Englishand Spanish language radiostations; cross-promotionwith The Polar Expressmovie; publicity about theWhite House Christmas

Tree; enhancements to the RealTrees 4 Kids! online curriculum;updates to the Real ChristmasTrees Web site; proactive and

PAGE 2 JANUARY 2005

2005 OfficersPresident Russell Reay (802) 492-3323 Vice President Dana Blais (603) 747-2263 Recording Secretary Carolyn Page (603) 664-2934Executive Secretary/Treasurer Jim Horst (802) 447-1900Past President Nigel Manley (603) 444-6228Marketing Committee Chair Walt Rockwood (802) 685-2282Group Buying Chair Bill Nichols (603) 353-4832

((TTeerrmm EEnnddss)) 2005 Directors(2006) Mike Ahern (603) 536-2334(2005)* Dana Blais (603) 747-2263(2005)* Mike Dannehy (603) 747-2457(2007) Mike Godzyk (603) 237-5702(2006) Rich Hourihan (802) 563-2369(2005) Phil Kivlin (802) 897-8031(2007) Patrick White (802) 223-3880(2007) Ben Hoyt (603) 838-6403(2007) Mary Lou Schmidt (802) 257-0233(2006) Rich Rockwood (802) 685-4343 (2006) Susan Taylor (603) 239-4005(2005) Bob White (802) 899-4924

Alternate Directors(2005) Jay Weir (603) 237-8617(2005) Larry Krygier (802) 827-6123

*Denotes second consecutive term

Happy New Year on whatseems to be a cloudy April day.Not a patch of snow in sight, andthe thermometer reads 45degrees—a good day to tag mytree for the Farm Show.

I hope everyone who hasfound it difficult to enter a treein the Vermont Farm Show inthe past takes note of thechanges this year.

Our meeting will be held onTuesday this year, notWednesday, and trees can beentered until 9 a.m. Tuesday,instead of Monday.

If you can have the treethere by 8 a.m., you can help setit up and have plenty of time toget to the Canadian Club for acup of coffee before the meetingstarts.

A hearty thanks to JonTurmel, Farm Show manager, forworking with the association tomake this possible.

The State’s Web site(www.vermontagriculture.com/FarmShow2005/index.html) con-

tains general information aboutthe Farm Show and, in particu-lar, the product contests.

In addition to the generalproduct contest informationfound online, it’s worth notingthat Christmas trees will be dis-played in Cinco stands, and thejudging rules are the same as, orvery similar to, the rules for BigE and Addison Co. Field Days.

(The Web site states entriesto be in on Monday, but that is inerror for Christmas trees. Treescan be delivered until 9 a.m. onTuesday.)

Don’t forget, in addition toChristmas trees, there are cate-gories for both decorated andundecorated wreaths.

On another note, by allaccounts our Trees for Troopsprogram was very successful.Walt Rockwood (that’s MajorRockwood) coordinated bothstates’ donors and recipients, andwe received several pieces ofmedia coverage. (See page 7.)

President’s MessageThe challenge of securing

top quality planting stock is stillwith us. Growers who can antici-pate their needs and place earlyorders with their nursery will beset, but those who procrastinatewill work hard for their plants.

Finally, we note the passingof Walt Pollert of Pownal, Vt., atage 68, and convey our condo-lences to his family. Walt wasn’ta high profile member, but heattended many meetings, andwas a well-known grower inVermont’s “Hudson Valley.”Walt’s obit. in the BenningtonBanner included the following:

“Since 1967, along with hisparents he operated Pollert’sChristmas Tree Farm onNorthwest Hill. He was a stockcar racing enthusiast and haddone some racing. More recently,along with his wife, he enjoyeddriving and showing his streetrod at events throughout theNortheast.”

Russell Reay, president

New Hampshire-Vermont Christmas Tree Association

2005 Tree Line Publication Schedule

Issue Ad/Submission Deadline Mailing DateJanuary December 31 January 14June May 27 June 10

September August 26 September 9

Contact InformationJim Horst, Executive Secretary

569 Pleasant Valley RoadBennington,VT 05201-9637

Phone: (802) 447-1900E-mail: info@nh-vtchristmastree.org

Association Website: www.nh-vtchristmastree.org

For matters related to Tree Line only:Patrick White, EditorNHVTCTA Tree Line

18 Merritt RoadMiddlesex,VT 05602

Phone/fax: (802) 223-3880E-mail: pwhitevt@aol.com

B. A. N. G.

Big bucks can be savedon your taxes withonly a little effort on

your part. Your income fromChristmas tree production is eli-gible for capital gains tax treat-ment. In the past few years capi-tal gains tax rates have droppeddramatically. The average differ-ence between regular income taxrates and capital gains rates isover 50 percent. In other words,you can cut your income tax inhalf by taking advantage of thecapital gains provisions of thelaw.

But that’s only the begin-ning. Because capital gains arenot considered “earned income”under the Internal RevenueCode, they are not subject to theself employment tax so you saveanother 15.3 percent. And eventhis isn’t the end. In Vermont,you will also reduce your statetax and pick up another 4 or 5percent. So we are talking aboutpotential tax savings in the rangeof 70 percent by reporting yourincome as capital gains. This isnot chicken feed.

Accountants are themost wonderful peoplein the whole wide

world. They’re all brilliant. I’venever talked to a Christmas treegrower who didn’t love hisaccountant. But I’ve also rarelytalked to a grower who under-stood federal income taxationwell enough to really knowwhether his accountant knew hisa__ from a hole in the ground.

initial cost of your trees must be“capitalized” and recovered whenyou sell the trees. It’s just likebuying a share of stock. Whenyou make the purchase you don’tconsider the cost of the stock as adeductible expense. You simplykeep a record of the cost anddeduct it from the sale price ofthe stock when you sell it yearslater. This is the way you musttreat your trees. If you’ve beendeducting your tree plantingcosts as annual expenses, you’llhave to amend your past taxreturns to get yourself straight.You don’t have to, of course. Youcan always pay more taxes thanthe law requires, but that doesn’tseem too smart.

Getting started is theimportant thing. I’mgoing to be speaking

on this subject at the wintermeeting in Barre. At that timeI’ll tell you exactly how to fill outyour tax returns. I’ll also be fur-nishing you with a detailed hand-out that you can study yourselfand take to your accountant, ifyou have one, so you can startgetting organized.

I anticipation of the meeting,I suggest you look over your 2003federal tax return. Look to see if:

1. There is a Form 4797included in the return?

2. Your Schedule F showsa loss on your Christmas treebusiness?

3. Your planting costshave been excluded from yourannual costs?

What is there about account-ants, that instills such blind con-fidence in their abilities. Theanswer is that we want tobelieve. It’s like believing isSanta Claus, the tooth fairy andthe weatherman. We are not, bynature bean counters or numbercrunchers. If we were, we’d becounting beans and crunchingnumbers. Our accountants areour heroes, who take our clut-tered shoe boxes full of cancelledchecks and soiled, wrinkledinvoices, make sense of them alland let us to do our thing. Thetrouble with this idyllic picture isthat most accountants don’t knowdoodleysquat about the taxationof income from the production ofChristmas trees, and worse, mostof them don’t even know thatthey don’t know.

Folks, it’s your money that’sinvolved here, not your accoun-tant’s. It’s up to you to see to itthat he’s doing things right.Forget the tooth fairy and checkyour tax returns. I’m going toshow you how to do it.

New growers listen up.You can’t wait untilyou’re ready to sell

trees before learning how to han-dle your taxes. Christmas treesgrow on an eight- or nine-yearcycle. You have to start organiz-ing your tax materials in the firstyear you plant trees so you cantake advantage of capital gainswhen you’re ready to sell themeight or nine years later.

Specifically, you can not taketree planting costs as an expensein the year you plant. Trees areconsidered capital assets and the

Member TipsTopic:Taxes

PAGE 4 JANUARY 2005

continued on page 8

When the NH-VT Christmas Tree Association resumed publication of our Tree Line newsletter this year, themain goal was to improve communication among growers. It’s always educational to learn what others in thisbusiness are doing--and what they’re not doing.To that end, we are beginning a new feature called "MemberTips." Each issue, we’ll contact members at random to respond to a series of questions about their operation,the equipment they use, their techniques, timelines, advice and so on. When your number is up, please take amoment to respond! (Everyone is off the hook this issue, as member Peter Mollica has stepped forward withsome timely tips on his other area of expertise, taxes.Thanks Peter.)

PAGE 6 JANUARY 2005

Research Report: Alternative Insecticide OptionsExploring Alternative

Insecticides for Control of Balsam Twig Aphid and

Balsam Gall Midge

Diazinon and Lorsban havebeen the insecticides of choice formost Christmas tree insect pestsfor some time now. These twoorganophosphate insecticides areinexpensive and effective againsthard-to-kill insects like the bal-sam gall midge, but we have tobe concerned that some day theywill no longer be available or ourinsects may develop resistance tothem.

With that in mind, theSilviculture Committee helpedsupport trials of several newinsecticides for balsam twigaphid management done byRichard Cowles at theConnecticut AgriculturalExperiment Station. A summaryof his results is now available atStation Bulletin 988.

As a follow up to Cowles’strials, I worked with SteveMoffat and Fred Salo to test twonew products for balsam gallmidge control in 2002. One ofthese products, Provado 1.6F, achloronicotinyl compound calledimidacloprid, gave excellent con-trol of balsam twig aphid inCowle’s trials. Imidacloprid is the

Results (See Box)Number of aphids per

branch before treatment aver-aged about 1.0 for all blocks. Thisis right at the threshold I use forwhether treatment may be need-ed. Usually, damage is likely toexceed light if the number ofaphids at initial bud breakexceeds 1 per branch.

I consider light damage to beup to 30% of the branches show-ing some needle curling fromaphid feeding.

However, customers ofchoose-and-cut operations seldomnotice damage less than 50%.

All three materials providedgood control of twig aphid. Onedisadvantage of syntheticpyrethroids is that they areharsh on beneficials.

There were few beneficialinsects present at the time ofspraying, which is an advantageof treating at initial budbreak.

However, spiders were pres-ent and their numbers decreasedin the Pounce block after treat-ment. Spider numbers increasednoticeably in the Provado blockand increased slightly in theDiazinon block.

The newer insecticidestend to be costly. Provado waseasy to work with and has only aCaution label, but it was themost costly at $33.50 per acre.Pounce was $10.40 per acre, butAsana, another pyrethroid, wouldbe less expensive at $7.20 peracre.

Diazinon AG500 was only$2.40 per acre. All of these mate-rials are currently registered forChristmas tree use.

Ron Kelley

active ingredient in Merit. For asecond material, I chose a syn-thetic pyrethroid called Scimitar.Unfortunately, neither of thesematerials performed as well asDiazinon AG500 for controllinggall midge.

In 2003, I worked withBryan Blundell to test Provado,and one other syntheticpyrethroid called Pounce 25WP,against balsam twig aphid.Provado required the addition ofa surfactant (Silwett L-77). Allmaterials were applied with atractor-mounted mistblower onMay 18. Their effectiveness for

controlling twig aphid and theireffect on beneficials was com-pared to Diazinon AG500, andthe results were discussed at theJune 28 meeting at Bryan’s farm.Beating surveys for aphids andbeneficials were conducted beforetreatment (at initial budbreak)and 2.5 days after treatment. Adamage survey was done on June25.

Post-TreatmentInsecticide No.Aphids/Branch Damaged % Branches DamagedDiazinon AG500 0.07 5Pounce 25WP 0.10 7Provado 1.6F 0.07 4Untreated Check 1.40 27

JANUARY 2005 PAGE 7

Editor’s DeskTrees for Troops RecapSpurred by the efforts of

Walt Rockwood (not an unusualphenomenon, see below), theNHVTCTA undertook a projectcalled Trees for Troops duringthe 2004 holiday season.

After determining therewere too many logistical prob-lems in sending trees to Vermontand New Hampshire troops inIraq and Afghanistan, the deci-sion was made to work with theNational Guard units in eachstate to provide trees for the fam-ilies of deployed soldiers.

Even then there were chal-lenges. Walt reports: “Welearned early in the gamethat National Guard vehi-cles could not be used fortransport. Tree growersgenerally cooperated todeliver trees to the nearestFamily Center. In somecases, it worked out thatpicking up and deliveringtrees was the best way togo. I put 1,318 miles on thetruck/trailer. A typicalday—pick up trees in WellsRiver, Vt., pick up wreathsin Sweetwater, N.H., dropoff trees at the Littleton,N.H., armory, pick up treesin N. Stratford, N.H., pick uptrees in Caanan, Vt.,pick upwreaths in Lancaster, N.H.”

The result was a tremendoussuccess. Some 209 NewHampshire National Guard fami-lies received trees through six ofthe state’s Family AssistanceCenters. In Vermont, 175 treeswere provided, along with 106wreaths, through five Centers.

Thanks to many generousdonations (Kelco stepped forwardto donate 100 wreath boxes forthe project) of time, transportand trees, the total cost to theAssociation was just $63.86.

News media coverage wasgood and blanketed most of NewHampshire and Vermont. Storiesincluded coverage not only of theNHVTCTA, but also individualgrowers who donated trees andwreaths. In Vermont, newspaper

articles appeared in the RutlandHerald, Barre- Montpelier TimesArgus, Bennington Banner amongmany others. Similar coveragewas realized in New Hampshire,where television station WMUR 9also broadcast a story on theTrees for Troops project. Back inVermont, WCAX 3 broadcast thepresentation of a plaque from theNational Guard to the NHVTCTAin appreciation for its efforts.

At the 2004 Fall Meeting,held at Redrock Farm in Chelsea,Vt., NHVTCTA President Russell

Reay (left) presented WaltRockwood with an honorary life-time membership, and plaquecommemorating his many yearsof service to the Association.

A number of newsworthyitems have crossed my desk sincethe last issue of Tree Line. Untilnext time, happy planting...

The results of the judging atBig E (below) proved that NewHampshire and Vermont growerscan compete with anyone when itcomes to quality trees—nextyear, it would be great to seemore entries from members.

Trees—New HampshireSpruce7th overall, # 1 N.H.— Bill Nichols

Pine1st overall, # 1 N.H.— Myles Finnegan (also 2nd overall for Reserve Grand Champion)

Fir2nd overall, #1 N.H.— Bill Nichols3rd overall, #2 N.H.— Mountain Star Farms# 3 N.H.—Abby Tonry# 4 N.H.—The Rocks

Wreaths—New Hampshire Undecorated5th overall, #1 N.H.— Nichols Tree Farm

Decorated1st overall and grand champion,#1 N.H.—Nichols Tree Farm3rd overall, #2 N.H.— Monadnock View Farm-Dave Parody

Trees—VermontSpruce3rd overall, #1 Vt.— Red Rock Tree Farm

Fir#1 Vt.—Red Rock

Wreaths—VermontUndecorated3rd overall, #1 Vt.— Red Rock Tree Farm

Decorated5th overall, #1 Vt.— Red Rock Tree Farm

PAGE 8 JANUARY 2005

4. Has your farm netincome been reported on ScheduleD?

If the answer to any of thesequestions is “No” then some-thing’s wrong. If you’re doing yourown taxes you’ll want to changeyour system. If you’re using anaccountant, you’d best show himmy paper and get him startedalong the right path.

I’m not going to try to teachyou everything there is to knowabout the Internal Revenue Code,even if I knew it, which I don’t.All I’m going to teach you isenough so you’ll know whetheryour income from Christmas treeproduction is being treated cor-rectly. Believe me; I’ll make it sosimple your pet monkey will beable to understand it.

After my formal presenta-tion, I intend to be available forthe rest of the day for private dis-cussions with anyone who wouldlike some additional help.

I look forward to seeing youin Barre. Don’t miss the meeting,especially if you answered “No” toany of my four questions.

Peter Mollica

· Larry Kuhns, Penn State -Soil testing, herbicide applicationequipment

· Brett Crosby, Watts &Assoc. - Managing productionrisks

· Miles McCoy - MarketingChristmas trees

· Paul Shealer, Penn State -Diagnosis of field problems

· Rick Bates, Penn State -Handling containerized conifers

· George Perry/Bob Pollock,Penn State - Sprayer calibration

A registration fee of $185includes all educational sessions,instructional materials, breaksand lunches for Feb 16 and 17.Registration for one day is $105.

To receive a registrationform or need additional informa-tion, please call the ChristmasTree Management Short Courseoffice at (814) 863-0918 or e-mailRick Bates at rmb30@psu.edu.

A block of rooms have beenreserved at The Penn StaterConference Center and Hotel.Reserve a room at a by calling(800) 233-7505, and indicate youare attending the Christmas TreeShort Course.

Member Tips...Taxescontinued from page 4 Penn State’s 2005 Christmas

Tree Management Short Coursewill be held at the Penn StaterConference Center and Hotel onthe University Park Campus,February 16-17. Sponsored bythe College of AgriculturalSciences and the Department ofHorticulture, the course attractsChristmas tree growers from over12 states and Canada.

The course is designed tohelp growers adopt the latestpest control, production and busi-ness management practices.Pennsylvania Department ofAgriculture pesticide re-certifica-tion core and category credits willalso be available to those attend-ing the course.

This year’s program repre-sents a broad range of topics andhighlights cultural managementand marketing. Speakers andtopics include:

· Rayanne Lehman, PADept. of Ag. - Douglas fir needlemidge update

· Paul Heller, Penn State -Elongate hemlock scale update

· Patti Borger, The BorgerFarm - Value-added sales

Education Opportunity: Penn State Short Course

JANUARY 2005 PAGE 9

262 Wylie School Rd. Voluntown, CT 06384Phone 860-376-2351 or 800-508-5099 Fax 860-376-8963

each farm is unique in soil tex-ture and organic matter whichcan affect longevity.

What about applyingSureGuard in the fall withRoundup? That works and it maybe possible to split the dosagebetween fall and spring.However, it is a rule that no falltreatment can be expected to pro-vide excellent weed control all ofthe following season.

Treating with SureGuardbefore bud break of Christmastrees is imperative to avoidconifer injury with or withoutRoundup.

Glyphosate Update:We have gotten used to

Roundup Original (41%glyphosate) for Christmas treesbut the situation is constantlychanging. Roundup Original isbeing phased out but is stillavailable from some suppliers.Honcho, Glyphos, Glyphosate 4,and Credit are glyphosate prod-ucts that I have verified to beequivalent to Roundup Original.There may be others. However,there are now many glyphosateproducts from several companiesand their selectivity (efficacy andsafety) on dormant conifer foliageis questionable or remains to beproven. Of course, if one appliesonly fully directed sprays, it doesnot matter one bit which formu-lation is used.

By John F. AhrensThe 2004 growing season

was great for Christmas trees butalso great for weeds. Tree growthand weed growth were exception-al, thanks largely to abundantrainfall. Wet seasons can betough on herbicides, however,causing more leaching with someherbicides and increased rates ofbreakdown. As a result, mid- tolate-summer found many planta-tions in New England overrunwith tall weeds even wherespring-applied residual herbi-cides were used.

This was the first year thatmany Christmas tree growersused SureGuard (flumioxazin) incomparison with or in place ofmore traditional treatmentsincluding combinations ofPrincep (simazine) or Goal (oxy-fluorfen) with Surflan (oryzalin),Pendulum (pendimethalin) orPennant (metolachlor). How didSureGuard measure up? In mostcases that I heard about orobserved in our experiments andin growers’ fields, the answer was“very well indeed.” Longer controlof annual grasses and ragweedsin particular was obtained withSureGuard, provided guidelineswere followed. With a few excep-tions (chickweeds and smallseedlings of certain weeds, forexample) SureGuard works bestwhen applied on weed-free soil orcombined with Roundup at 1 pt.to 1 qt. per treated acre. Seedlinghorseweed in the spring is notcontrolled by SureGuard alone.Most perennial weeds, includingsome that emerge later in thespring such as yellow nutsedge,horsenettle and dogbane also arenot controlled. A follow-up appli-cation of glyphosate (Roundup,etc.) will be needed to kill theseperennials.

A common rate ofSureGuard for long season con-trol is 12 ounces of product pertreated acre. If a 50% band isapplied, that rate is 6 ounces peracre of trees. Using less canshorten the control period, but

Experimental Results:We tested two potassium salt

formulations (Roundup OriginalMax and Roundup Ultra Max II)as well as Clear Out 4 Plus(another 41% glyphosate formula-tion) over dormant Fraser firs inApril 2004 and also in September.At 0.75 lbs. active ingredient peracre (the equivalent of 1 qt. ofRoundup Original per acre), noneof the formulations caused signifi-cant injury, but at 1.5 lbs. peracre some firs sprayed withRoundup Ultra Max II and ClearOut 41 Plus showed more injurysymptoms than those sprayedwith Roundup Original orRoundup Original Max. We willreserve judgment on these prod-ucts until next year when we seethe results of our experiments.

Another exciting develop-ment for the future of weed man-agement in plantations is a newherbicide product from theDuPont Company. This product,tentatively called "Westar", gaveweed control lasting intoSeptember from an April 30application in two experimentsthat I conducted this year. Oneyear's testing is insufficient. Aswith the new Roundup formula-tions, more work is needed ondosage and conifer tolerance.

Reprinted from the November2004 issue of The Real Tree Line,published by the ConnecticutChristmas Tree Growers Assn.

2004 Weed Management Review for Christmas Trees

PAGE 10 JANUARY 2005

vided to Market Expansiondonors. Participants then e-mailed these “cards” to cus-tomers, prospects, family andfriends as a “high tech” means ofcommunicating their farm’s andlot’s key messages.

The Attack of the MutantArtificial Trees Advergame:

To reach “tweeners” whoinfluence current sales and areemerging as tomorrow’s cus-tomers, NCTA produced an inter-active game that was e-mailed to800,000 “registered gamers.”They were encouraged to forwardit to friends with a “beat myscore” challenge. The game wasfilled with messages encouragingthe use of Real Christmas Trees.As a side benefit, a number ofreporters saw the game anddecided to do a Real Tree story.

Kim Komando:The nationally syndicated

radio personality and USA Todaycolumnist - named NCTA’s gameas her “Cool Site of the Day.”This recognition was also includ-ed in an e-mail that she sent toher 500,000 subscribers in addi-tion to the on-air recommenda-tion of the site to her 3.3 millionlisteners.

Enhanced Marketing Tool Kit:To assist in local implemen-

tation of key messages, NCTAprovided donors of $50 or morewith a Media Tool Kit, which wasorganized in a three-ring binder.The kit included suggested activi-ties, news releases, ads inEnglish and Spanish and muchmore in both print and electronic(CD ROM) formats.

White House Christmas Tree:The John Tillman family of

Northwest Plantations,Rochester, Washington, present-ed the official White HouseChristmas Tree to First LadyLaura Bush on November 29.Tillman earned the right to pres-

NCTA Market Expansion Campaign Review

reactive story placement andinterviews with the nationalnews media; continuing workwith fire safety officials; coopera-tive tree care dissemination withUnderwriters Laboratories andthe Home Safety Council; envi-ronmental action including workwith the EARTH 911 nationalrecycling effort; and a “Marketerof the Year” competition.

In planning for the 2005campaign, the Task Force mailedand e-mailed an evaluation sur-vey to all donors and to membernon-donors.

The goal is to get feedbackon what worked, what didn’twork and to come up with newconcepts that retailers and grow-er-retailers could use.

The Task Force will preparea final report to donors and mem-bers after meeting in mid-January to analyze the data andhold discussions with Smith &Harroff (NCTA’s marketingagency) and staff to develop plansfor the 2005 Campaign.

Project Summaries“Help Santa Find the Perfect

Real Tree” National Contest: To get immediate and long-

term benefits, NCTA sponsored a“Help Santa Find the PerfectReal Tree” national contest foryouths, ages six to 16. The con-test - children wrote a storyabout their Real Tree experiencesand took a photo of their RealTree and their family - includedprizes ranging from $5,000 col-lege scholarships to trips to theLouise Mandrell Theater inPigeon Forge, Tennessee. NewHolland helped sponsor the tripprizes and mailed contest materi-als to all donors.

E-card:College students, under the

direction of Smith & Harroff, pro-duced two versions of an electron-ic greeting card, which were pro-

ent the White House tree by win-ning the 2004 NCTA ChristmasTree contest. The annual presen-tation generates huge positivecoverage in national media whenthe White House selects the treein October and when the firstlady accepts it in an officialWhite House ceremony before theWhite House Press Corps. USAToday featured sketches of theTillmans and the tree in a half-page story in its Dec. 4 issue.

National News Media:From USA Today and The

Wall Street Journal to “TheToday Show” and HGTV, NCTAhas worked to place positive sto-ries about Real Trees andresponded to media interviewrequests. One dozen volunteersagreed to serve as industryspokespeople. During theirbusiest season, these people gra-ciously gave their time on yourbehalf to promote Real ChristmasTrees.

Enhanced Web-site:We enhanced the NCTA

Web-site with additional informa-tion and more listings. Somemembers told us they received alarge number of new customerleads from the NCTA Web links.

The Polar Express:Late in the Market

Expansion Campaign planning,Warner Bros. Pictures offeredNCTA the opportunity to crosspromote Real Christmas Treeswith The Polar Express movie.Even on short notice, severaldonors were able to take advan-tage of the promotional opportu-nities with their local theaters.And, as expected, The PolarExpress helped NCTA gain newand expanded publicity aboutReal Christmas Trees. It alsolead to an additional partnershipfrom New Holland that wasworth more than $10,000 to theReal Christmas Tree promotioncampaign.

continued from page 1

JANUARY 2005 PAGE 11

New Hampshire-Vermont Christmas Tree AssociationWinter Meeting Canadian Club, Barre,VT

Tuesday (not Wednesday), January 25, 2005

Reminder: Enter your trees and wreaths at the Farm Show by 9 a.m. the day of the meeting.

Winners will be announced before the meeting is over.

8:30 - 9:30 a.m. Registration, coffee

9:30 - 10:30 a.m. Business meetingCommittee reportsTrees for Troops -Walt Rockwood

10:30 - 11:15 a.m. Christmas Tree Taxation Issues: The Dollars You Save May be Your Own!-Peter Mollica, attorney and past president of the NHVTCTA. This presentation will be followed by opportunities for brief one-on-one consultations with Peter.

11:15 a.m. - 12 p.m. Deer and Moose Damage: What whets their appetites? Why my place and not yours? What are the laws? Is there any financial help available for compensation or prevention? - John Buck, Deer Team Leader, VT Dept. of Fish and Wildife; and Rob Calvert, Wildlife Damage Specialist, NH Fish and Game Dept.

12 - 1 p.m. Lunch - Canadian Club’s roast beef dinner

1 - 1:30 p.m. Marketing recap of the 2004 season with audience participation. Sales up or down? New trends, outlook for 2005.

1:30 - 2 p.m. Recap of the year's insect and disease problems, and forecast for 2005- Ron Kelley, Forest Protection Specialist, VT Dept of Forests and Parks

2 - 3 p.m. Invasive Plants in Christmas Tree Culture: what’s bad and what’s not, what can we live with and what must we control, and are we part of the problem or part of the solution ? - Jeff Taylor, general manager, Vegetation Control Service

Directions: The Canadian Club is on VT Route 14, about 2 miles north of Barre City.

Pesticide Credits: 2 Pesticide Recertification CreditsSAF and NH Forester Licensing: 3 credits, category I

PAGE 12 JANUARY 2005

The New Exotic ExperienceBy Bob GirardinAs choose-and-cut growers of

Christmas trees, we all takepride in the experiences that weoffer our customers so that theywill continue to buy our trees. Asgrowers in the 21st century wemust diversify and add to theexperience by offering our cus-tomers a variety of species tochoose from.

At Willow Pond Farm (myfarm in Sanbornton, N.H.) wesold 17 different species ofChristmas trees during our threetagging weekends in Oct. 2004.We sell our trees by invitationand have a waiting list.

This year our farm was fea-tured on television, in newspa-pers across the United States,and on New Hampshire PublicRadio. The NH Public Radio seg-ment, “Some Americans Pine forExotic Christmas Trees,” byShannon Mullen, contained thefollowing quote from DaveRotinnelli, who runs Apple TreeNursery in Tilton, N.H.: “If you

could put 10 different trees sideby side, you’d pick his exoticsevery time. They’re outstanding.”

There were several othertree farms that received local andnational exposure because theywere offering their customersexotic conifers for Christmastrees. One of the growers, BillWeir from Colebrook, N.H. (awholesale grower of exoticconifers) was featured in theSunday papers across the coun-try, and next year CBS will visithis farm three times. Mike LaineFloodwood from Minnesota wasfeatured on PBS televisionbecause of the exotic conifers heis growing at his nursery. FrankGenevose from Oxford, Michigan,has received local, state, andnational exposure because of thewide varieties of exotic conifersthat he offers his customers, andthe farms of Jeff Taylor fromRichmond, N.H., and DaveWerner from Middlebury, Vt.,have been featured in the localand state media because of the

variety of trees they offer theircustomers at Christmas time.

All of the growers of exoticconifers cited in this article gethigh prices for their exoticconifers. Christmas trees are notthe only income derived fromgrowing exotic conifers as we alluse the beautiful foliage in ourwreaths, swags, and other deco-rations. The pot in a pot growingsystem also provides additionalincome with the ability grow thisspecies for ornamentals and liveChristmas trees.

New Hampshire andVermont Christmas tree growershave a great opportunity toexpand their operation by grow-ing exotic conifers. We are veryfortunate to live in a micro cli-mate that will allow us to growmany of these exotic species.

For one complimentary copyof the Exotic Conifer News, senda stamped, self-addressed, busi-ness size envelope to: BobGirardin, 158 Upper Bay Rd.,Sanbornton, NH 03269.

$ave $erious$Take advantage of the NH-VTChristmas Tree Association’s

Group Buying programs.

Contact Jim Horst at (802) 447-1900