The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) is seeking nominations for the Christmas Tree Promotion Board to fill seats for four members whose terms begin on Jan. 1, 2025, and end Dec. 31, 2027.
Eligible nominees must have produced domestically or imported more than 500 Christmas trees during the fiscal period of Aug. 1, 2022 – July 31, 2023.
The Christmas Tree Promotion Board is seeking nominees for the following seats:
- Two Region #1 - Western Region Producers
- One Region #3 - Eastern Region Producer
- One Importer
Region #1 – Western Region includes: (states from the Pacific Ocean east to the Rocky Mountains): Alaska, Arizona, California, Colorado, Hawaii, Idaho, Montana, Nevada, New Mexico, Oregon, Utah, Washington, Wyoming, and all U.S. Territories located in the Pacific Ocean.
Region #3 – Eastern Region includes: (states east of the Great Lakes): Alabama, Connecticut, Delaware, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Louisiana, New York, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Mississippi, New Hampshire, New Jersey, North Carolina, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, South Carolina, Tennessee, Virginia, Vermont, Washington, DC, West Virginia, and all U.S. Territories located in the Atlantic Ocean and Caribbean Sea, including but not limited to Puerto Rico.
Election and nomination details can be found on the board’s website at www.realchristmastreeboard.org or by contacting the board’s Executive Director Marsha Gray at 517-242-1630 or by email at mjgray1@charter.net.
The board is made up of 12 industry members including eleven producers and one importer. More information about the board is available on the AMS Christmas Tree Promotion Board webpage. You may also contact USDA Marketing Specialist George Webster, at (202) 365-4172 or by email at George.Webster@usda.gov.
AMS policy is that diversity of the boards, councils and committees it oversees should reflect the diversity of its industries in terms of the experience of members, methods of production and distribution, marketing strategies, and other distinguishing factors, including but not limited to individuals from historically underserved communities, that will bring different perspectives and ideas to the table. Throughout the full nomination process, the industry must conduct extensive outreach, paying particular attention to reaching underserved communities, and consider the diversity of the population served and the knowledge, skills and abilities of the members to serve a diverse population.
Since 1966, Congress has authorized industry-funded research and promotion boards to provide a framework for agricultural industries to pool resources and combine efforts to develop new markets, strengthen existing markets and conduct important research and promotion activities. The Agricultural Marketing Service (AMS) provides oversight to 22 boards. The oversight ensures fiscal accountability and program integrity, and is paid for by industry assessments.
USDA is an equal opportunity provider, employer, and lender