Dead tree trade

An evergreen slowly dying in the living room is the most iconic symbol of the gift-giving season, and out here in California, we pay more than nearly every other state for our holiday trees—on average, $82 for a 6-foot specimen. Only New Yorkers pay more ($90). The state with the lowest-cost trees? North Dakota, at $33 a pop. Curiously, states like Pennsylvania and Washington are among the most expensive places to buy trees ($73 and $68, respectively), despite being among the top tree-producing states (Nos. 4 and 6). Oregon is the top live-tree producer and is in the middle of the pack on cost ($64), while North Carolina, the No. 2 producer, is among the most affordable, with a price tag of $53 per 6-foot tree.

Sources: chamberofcommerce.org, nass.usda.gov