HOME FOR THE HOLIDAYS
November 2016
East Oregonian/Hermiston Herald
Page 3
Fire chief stokes Christmas spirit
By ANTONIO SIERRA
East Oregonian
endleton fire chief
Mike Ciraulo is a
sucker for the charms
of the holiday season.
Having been instilled
with a love of Christmas
pageantry at a young age
by his mother, Ciraulo said
he won’t hold back for his
first holiday light display
since moving to Pendleton
in 2015.
When he purchased
his historic Queen Anne
Victorian home on the
North Hill, its potential
for Christmas decorations
wasn’t far from his mind.
Although he’s been
stringing up lights for the
past few weeks, Ciraulo he
still abides by his mother’s
traditional approach toward
decorations — the full
display won’t be lit until
after Thanksgiving.
The fire chief promised
that his display would be
classically appealing tribute
to the holiday season.
“It’s my gift to the
community,” he said.
Ciraulo wants Pend-
leton’s other great light
displays to be recognized
as well and is working with
the Pendleton Chamber
P
Staff photo by E.J. Harris
Pendleton Fire chief Mike Ciraulo strings Christmas lights on the landscaping in his front yard.
of Commerce to revive a
Christmas light contest.
Ciraulo said anyone
is open to nominating
their own or a neighbor’s
light display, although the
Pendleton Chamber of
Commerce Ambassadors
will keep their own lookout
for especially dazzling
Christmas decorations.
Ciraulo’s role in orga-
nizing the contest means
he’ll be ineligible for any
of the prizes, but that hasn’t
stopped him from getting
involved in another holiday
event.
The fire chief lent his
hand to the inaugural
Pendleton Holiday Stroll,
which will bring carolers
from local choirs, hot
chocolate stations, Santa
Claus and more to down-
town Pendleton Dec. 10
from 4-7 p.m.
Co-sponsored by the
chamber and the Pendleton
Downtown Association,
Ciraulo said he hopes
the event will eventually
become a regional attrac-
tion for tourists and visitors.
As a fire chief, Ciraulo
is wary of the holiday
season’s riskier charms —
like deep frying a turkey,
which he does every year.
Although LED
Christmas lights don’t
present much of a fire
hazard, other holiday
staples like chimneys and
live Christmas trees do.
Ciraulo said he’s seen
several fatalities caused by
live trees catching on fire
in his career and advised
those who insist on one to
keep it away from heating
sources and candles, water
it regularly and dispose of
it as soon as Christmas is
over.
For anyone worried that
their holiday festivities
might turn dangerous,
Ciraulo said the Pendleton
Fire Department will be
there to help.
“We will come to any
house for any reason for a
safety inspection,” he said.
Oregon farmers see Christmas tree shortage
“I think everybody will get
something, just maybe not the
species or size they want.”
By MATEUSZ PERKOWSKI
Capital Press
R
etailers across the
U.S. are coming to
an uncomfortable
realization as the holiday
season approaches.
The abundant supply
of Christmas trees they’ve
come to expect in recent
years has now turned into a
shortage.
“They didn’t realize how
quickly we had rolled over
to an undersupply,” said Bob
Schaefer, CEO of Noble
Mountain Tree Farm near
Salem, Ore.
While farmers are
benefiting from higher
prices, the shortage has
sparked concerns of market
share loss to artificial trees.
The industry won’t be
able to quickly ramp up
production because trees
typically spend two years
in the nursery before being
planted out in the field,
Schaefer said.
The problem is aggra-
vated by insufficient recent
seed crops, he said.
For Noble firs, the most
popular tree species, an
adequate supply of seedlings
may not be available until
2019, Schaefer said.
The immediate impact is
on prices.
Trees are selling for 8
percent to 15 percent more
than last year, Schaefer said.
Noble firs are selling for
roughly $28 while Douglas
firs are selling for up to $18,
he said.
In terms of supply, the
shortage isn’t so severe
that retailers will end up
with empty tree lots, said
Betty Malone, co-owner
of Sunrise Tree Farm near
Philomath.
— Betty Malone, co-owner of Sunrise Tree Farm
Mateusz Perkowski/Capital Press
Workers load Christmas trees onto a truck at Noble
Mountain Tree Farm near Salem in this Capital Press
file photo. Farmers are reporting a tree shortage that
has driven up prices this year.
“I think everybody will
get something, just maybe
not the species or size they
want,” Malone said.
Much of the is shortage
was caused by farmers
getting out of the tree
business during the recent
glut, which suppressed
prices, she said.
Between 2010 and 2015,
the number of Christmas
tree growers dropped more
than 30 percent, from 699
to 485, according to Oregon
Department of Agriculture
data.
Tree sales in Oregon
plummeted 26 percent
during that time, from 6.4
million trees to 4.7 million
trees, according to a survey
by USDA’s National
Agricultural Statistics
Service.
Meanwhile farmers were
planting fewer trees than
they were selling.
About 3.7 million trees
were planted in 2015, down
from 5.6 million in 2010,
according to USDA NASS.
“A lot of people got
burned in the last decade,”
said Casey Grogan, whose
family owns Silver Bells
Christmas Tree Farm near
Silverton.
Planting Christmas trees
has also appealed to fewer
farmers due to growth in
alternative crops, such as
hazelnuts and grape vines,
Grogan said.
Grogan said he is worried
that high prices could push
some consumers toward
artificial trees, but he said
growers need to recoup
years of losses.
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“There’s ground to make
up financially for people
who stuck it out through the
oversupply,” he said. “We
need higher prices to stay in
the game.”
Drakes Crossing
Christmas Trees, which
also grows seedlings,
is cautiously increasing
production as the industry’s
financial outlook improves,
said Jan Hupp, its manager.
“We’re not going whole
hog, but we are doing it,”
Hupp said.
With few seedlings in
the pipeline, it’s unlikely the
Christmas tree industry will
face another major surplus
until 2025, he said.
However, the industry
will likely again swing into
overproduction eventually,
Hupp said.
“Name a single
commodity crop that doesn’t
have a cycle like that,” he
said. “It’s going to be good
for a while, but not forever.”
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