RCTB MARKETING CAMPAIGNEXCEEDS EXPECTATIONS

 Highlights include:

• RCTB’s newly expanded online newsroom exceeded expectations with 21,565 sessions.
• Twenty-six placements in top-tier target media (i.e.: Today Show, Good Morning America, AP, Reuters) provided RCTB with the opportunity to address pricing and supply concerns while providing consumer tips.
• RCTB successfully unveiled the American Christmas Tree Association as representing the artificial Christmas tree industry to the news media and others.
• Use of RCTB’s online retail locator leapt from 118,162 in 2024 to 198,999 in 2025 — a 68% increase.
• RCTB’s social media influencer partners’ engagement leapt from 6.5 million impressions last year to 8.1 million this year, and RCTB garnered more than 23.3 million impressions across TikTok, Reddit and Meta.

Did you miss RCTB’s video showcasing highlights and benchmarks from its 2025 marketing campaign? If so, you can view the video online at: https://www.realchristmastreeboard.org/promotion/.

RCTB secured placements in 26 top-tier target media.

RCTB Research Project Showcase

In this issue, we showcase the fifth of six RCTB-funded research projects for the upcoming year. 

Testing plant growth regulators to prevent needle loss — University of New Brunswick – Dr. Rafaella Mayrinck; Connecticut Agricultural Experiment Station – Dr. Richard Cowles

The post-harvest quality of Christmas tree species prone to losing needles can worsen by warm temperatures at the time of harvest. Plant growth regulators (PGRs) can be sprayed on foliage before harvest or added to water provided to displayed trees to prevent needle loss of true firs. Registering PGRs for improving needle retention will require testing these chemicals on a larger scale on fir species, and their potential for preventing needle loss from non-fir species of Christmas trees still needs to be evaluated. This research will test these materials for plant safety and consistency of response in balsam fir and will determine whether they are also suitable to prevent needle loss in Norway and white spruce.

RCTB Webinars Available Online

Did you miss one of our informative webinars? This season, RCTB hosted four webinars that are now available online via the RCTB Webinars webpage, which can be accessed at realchristmastreeboard.org/resources/.

The webinars are as follows:

Transplant quality and seedling survival during planting

Presenter: Dr. Bert Cregg, Michigan State University

Intentional communications: how to make the most of the moment

Presenter: John Armato, Co-Founder, Armato Barber Communications Consulting and Coaching

Filling research gaps to improve the management of Phytophthora root rot

Dr. Gary Chastagner – Washington State University

Christmas tree genetic improvement through Identification of stress defense mechanisms

Dr Philipp Zerbe – University of California Davis

RCTB Research Topic Survey Available Online

Real Christmas tree growers are encouraged to complete the 2026 Research Topic Survey and indicate what pest or other production issues they are experiencing on their farm to be considered for RCTB-funded research. The information collected in this survey is used by the RCTB Research Committee to help determine which research proposals to fund.

The survey is available on therealchristmastreeboard.org website Research page. Growers may complete the survey online or print the survey and email the completed version to research@realchristmastreeboard.org.