The second annual U.S. Landscape Tree Planting Survey, sponsored by the American Association of Nurserymen and the U.S.D.A. Forest Service has found that tree planting went down 5.7%. A total of 98,012,000 finished trees for landscape planning were sold from October 1, 1991 to September 30, 1992, which was down from the 105,636,000 trees sold the previous year.

Some of the reasons for the drop cited in the survey were slow economic growth, effects of the housing recession and regional drought conditions. While sales of deciduous shade and flowering trees were down, the sales of fruit and nut trees were up 8.3%.

Tree sales and planting may have been down in 1992, but "according the USDA Economic Research Service, 1991 cash receipts for greenhouse and nursery products ranked in the 'top 5' of all agricultural commodities in 23 states. Nationwide, greenhouse and nursery product cash receipts in 1991 ranked 6th after cattle and calves, dairy products; corn; hogs; and soybeans, but ahead of such commodities as wheat, cotton and tobacco." (AAN Today, V.4 No. 5, April-May 1993) When the report for 1992 comes out, hopefully those in the green will rank in the "top five" again.