Christmas tree growers can now get refunds for unsold trees

The US Department of Agriculture is proposing several changes to how Christmas tree growers operate. These changes include renaming the board, increasing administrative spending limits, and allowing importers to get refunds for trees that were shipped but not sold. It also requires growers to keep records for a longer period.

For years, importers paid fees on all trees shipped, even if they never made it to market. This change means they can now recover some of those costs. It also gives the board more money for its own operations, which could mean more promotion for real Christmas trees.