Find a little bit of Christmas spirit on the corner of Highland Road and Tower Drive.
The Society of American Foresters began their annual Christmas tree sale fundraiser Monday night in front of the Renewable Natural Resources building.
The trees, a mix of Carolina Sapphire and Leyland Cypress, are grown at the School of Renewable Natural Resources’ research forest and donated to the society annually for the sale.
The event is organized by the professional student organization of about 20 members, according to SAF at LSU president Hannah Plaisance.
The sale has been going on for decades, according to SAF faculty adviser and associate professor of forest products Niels de Hoop.
“I’ve been here for 18 years, and I have been doing it the whole time,” de Hoop said.
James Hollier, biological engineering senior, was one of the first people to come pick out a tree to decorate his house.
“My girlfriend heard about this, and we figured we might as well buy local,” Hollier said.
Carrie Robison, Baton Rouge resident, said this was her fourth year coming to the sale after she passed it on the street years ago.
According to de Hoop, the weather is the biggest determining factor for how fast the trees are sold, and the sale will go until just about all the trees are sold, which should happen in about a week.
“Rain really hurts the business, and cold weather helps it,” de Hoop said. “People are more in the mood for buying trees.”
The trees are sold for $7 per foot, and most of the trees cost about $50, de Hoop said.
“We get a lot of alumni coming by and just picking them up,” said Billy Dahmen, forestry junior and SAF at LSU vice president.
The money will go toward sending the members of the society to the national convention in the fall and the Southern Conclave in the spring, according to forest management junior Greg Marshall, a member of SAF.
Marshall said Conclave is a competition in outdoors games and technical competitions for collegiate foresters.
“[Conclave] is like ESPN Outdoors. That’s the best way to describe it,” Marshall said.
 
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Contact Frederick Holl at [email protected]