Guries says those ratios reflect the evolution of local market preferences over the past three decades. "Thirty years ago we didn't carry a single Fraser fir," he notes. In the early years, he recalls, the sale offered eight or nine tree species, including red pine, white spruce and Norway spruce. All have fallen out of fashion since the Fraser fir's ascent in popularity. "We're slaves to Christmas-tree fashion," observes Guries.
Demand for Fraser fir is reflected in the sale's pricing structure. Frasers sell for $50 each, while balsam firs sell for $40 each and white pines for $30. (Fraser fir wreaths are also available at $22 each.) "Once Fraser fir was available and people discovered they really liked that tree, I think it has become the tree that people seem to want," Guries says. "And it's a nice tree."
While open to the general public, the sale's customer base is dominated by UW-Madison faculty and staff, who account for about three-fourths of the event's sales, according to Guries. This is by design. By keeping the annual sale small in scale and not advertising it off-campus, the UW Forestry Club strives to minimize any semblance of competition with commercial Christmas-tree vendors -- and renders the sale more manageable. He estimates that perhaps three-fourths of those who purchase their Christmas trees at the forestry club's sale are returning customers from previous years.
Guries says the trees are grown and harvested by
