OREGON CITY, Ore. (AP) — An Oregon Christmas tree grower is giving trees a hot bath before shipping.
OREGON CITY, Ore. (AP) — An Oregon Christmas tree grower is giving trees a hot bath before shipping.
The Kirk Company at Oregon City says running trees through a 106-degree washer kills or knocks off slugs and other bugs that foreign buyers don’t want hitching a ride for the holiday.
Agriculture officials from Malaysia and the Philippines observed the method Monday.
Kirk co-owner Gary Snyder says the Hawaiian market is his biggest concern. Inspectors are leery of invasive species and require fumigation if bugs are discovered in a load of trees.
Oregon leads the nation in Christmas tree production with about 7 million trees sold in 2013 — 17 percent of the U.S. total, according to the National Agricultural Statistics Service. Christmas trees are Oregon’s 12th most valuable crop.