About Us
Since the early 1900s growers in the Pacific Northwest have planted, cultivated and harvested Christmas trees in what is now considered not only the largest, but also the finest growing area in the world.
Where it started
In 1968 Glen and Nancy Thornton bought a farm.
In 1970, they planted some trees with a dream of creating Christmas all around them.
Four years later, in 1974 they, along with their four children, sold their first tree.
For 53 years Glen and Nancy have worked their land with their children, their grandchildren and even some of their great grandchildren beside them.
About our trees
Douglas, Noble and Grand Fir and other species flourish in this region with its sunny summers and brisk, moist winters.
It takes about six to ten years to grow a Christmas tree, depending on the species and the weather.
Thousands of Northwest acres will be planted in Christmas trees on an average year, and some 11 million trees will be harvested. Northwest trees are marketed across the United States and China, Japan, Hong Kong, Mexico, Guam, Puerto Rico and Samoa.
But when you go to Thorntons' Treeland for your tree, your tree will be hours old when you put it up!
Is choosing a real tree bad for the environment?
No! Christmas trees don't come from established forests - they are grown as a crop on tree farms. And trees are one of the most environmentally friendly crops around. A tree is harvested after seven to nine years, so 70% to 90% of the farm must remain in trees at all times. As soon as trees are cut, new ones take their place in the tree farm.
In Clark County, natural Christmas trees are collected after Christmas and chipped for use as mulching materials. They are completely biodegradable and will return their stored nutrients to the soil from which they came. They convert carbon dioxide to oxygen. One acre of natural trees will produce enough oxygen for 18 people.
The Boy Scouts also collect trees and transport them to the recycling center as a fund raiser.