Christmas Tree Industry and Its Dependence on Immigrant Labor

Abstract

This research paper covers the impact of foreign-born Mexican immigrants in the Christmas tree industry throughout the United States. The intention of the research topic is to highlight the importance of immigrant labor; in particular that of the Christmas tree industry. Oregon is the top producer of Christmas Trees within the United States, the state relies heavily on the industry. The research dataset is compiled from all 50 states from 2012 to 2021. Database contains a dollar unit measure of Christmas trees produced, acres in production by state, percentage of immigrant agricultural laborers and three dummy variables: changes in Christmas tree Promotion bill changes, drought (D2), and red or blue state. This database is then run through a Random-effects test on R to gather coefficients. The collection of data and its results produced follow the theory of immigrant labor being incredibly crucial to the number of trees produced. Results through testing demonstrate that for every percentage point of immigrating agricultural laborers, there is a large positive increase in number of Christmas trees produced (measured in dollars). Immigrant labor is fundamental to various industries nationwide, its research is vital to understand its role in the United States’ economy