NATIONAL SURVEY RESULTS - For Immediate Release

U.S. Consumers to Buy an Estimated 23 to 28 Million Real Christmas Trees

(November 26, 2003 - St. Louis) According to a national survey conducted by Wirthlin Worldwide and released Wednesday, demand for a real Christmas tree this year will be strong. While about 25% of U.S. households reported that they planned to purchase a real Christmas tree, only seven percent reported they planned to purchase an artificial Christmas tree.

Although some families have already purchased their tree and begun decorating their home for the holidays, an estimated 23 to 28 million will be looking for that special, natural tree. This would be an increase of as much as six million trees over 2002, according to the St. Louis-based National Christmas Tree Association (NCTA).

Thanksgiving is the typical starting gun for sales, said Jim Corliss, President of NCTA. Thanksgiving is very late in November again this year and we know that consumers were affected by the closeness of Thanksgiving and Christmas last year, we expect to be a lot busier this year in the shorter amount time.

Nearly one third of households in the U.S. did not display any kind of Christmas tree in 2002 according to research commissioned by NCTA. It was the highest percentage since the group began tracking the figure in 1989. It became clear to many people in our industry last year that our competition isnt just the artificial tree, its the hustle and bustle of a condensed holiday season.

Corliss said growers around the country are having an excellent harvest with no major weather disruptions. What we have available to harvest and what we send to market has an impact on what the sales numbers will ultimately turn out to be, said Corliss. Overall sales of real Christmas trees in 2002 were approximately 22.3 million which was a decrease of about 5.5 million tree from the previous year. NCTA is urging consumers to get their tree early for best possible choice. Besides, said Corliss, families want to get the most enjoyment from the aroma and beauty that a real Christmas tree brings to a traditional family Christmas. Why wait until the last minute for that?

NCTA estimates that 35% of the consumers will purchase their trees at a Christmas tree farm to experience additional activities with the family, while about 59% will buy pre-cut trees from a retail lot, civic group or chain store. It is estimated that nearly 300,000 consumers will purchase their Real Tree over the Internet or by mail order.

The NCTA Internet site (RealChristmasTrees.org) provides a comprehensive listing of farms and retail lots throughout the U.S. Consumers can type in their ZIP code to find real Christmas tree farms or retail lots within a 60 mile radius. The site also has an on-line locator to find the nearest recycling center.

Wirthlin Worldwide interviewed 1,001 consumers between Friday, Nov. 21 and Monday, Nov. 24. The poll has a margin of error of ± 3.1%.