EXCHANGE: Shoppers enthusiastic about real Christmas trees

ANDERSON, Ind. (AP) - Cole Douglas lifted a fresh-cut Christmas tree out of its lean against other trees in the Gene's Root Beer lot and gave it a spin so Jeff Scott and his father, Jack Scott, could get a good look at its fullness from all sides.

"It's not Christmas without a real tree. It kind of reminds me of your childhood," Jeff Scott said, adding that he loves the scent of the trees.

His sentiments echo those of many throughout the county this holiday season as they head toward Gene's, Harvest Market and other lots to buy fresh-cut trees, wreaths and roping.

Andy Moorman, son of the lot's original owner, Gene Moorman, said he brought 830 trees from the family's 35-acre, 7,000-tree farm in Michigan. He fully expects to sell out.

Michigan trees are heartier because they are used to weather extremes from the coldest winters to the hottest summers, he said.

"I'm thinking I didn't bring enough," he added.

With the seasonality of the drive-in restaurant, Gene Moorman sought another revenue stream in the off-season. In the mid-1960s, he came up with the idea to sell fresh-cut Christmas trees.

Most of the trees are Fraser firs, but Gene's also offers Scotch pines and Douglas firs.

Though there has been something of a movement toward buying artificial trees over the past several decades, Moorman said there appears to be a renewed interest in real trees, which average between $30 and $70 at his lot, depending on the height and type.

The advantage of fresh-cut Christmas trees, Moorman said, is they are a renewable resource and American produced.

"It's American jobs. It's an important industry that puts people to work fertilizing, trimming and controlling weeds," he said. He hires 14 trimmers, six people to harvest, a tractor-trailer driver and four sales people.

"It adds up," he said.

But not everyone is convinced.

Though both grew up with live trees, Dave and Debby Rowan, of Anderson, opted for a frosty white artificial tree decorated to resemble a snowman this year.

"By this time and age, I'm over it," said Dave Rowan. "I like real trees, don't get me wrong, but they are a real mess. They're a fire hazard after they dry out, too."

Though he likes the smell of a fresh-cut tree, he said he doesn't like the cleanup.

"What you have to pay for a live tree, you can buy an artificial tree," said Debby Rowan, who picked up her tree for $20 in the after-Christmas sales last year.

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Source: The Herald Bulletin, http://bit.ly/1XX2fEB .

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Information from: The Herald Bulletin, http://www.theheraldbulletin.com