The Obama administration’s decision to delay a 15-cent fee on Christmas trees had local growers celebrating the season.

Announced Monday, the measure was criticized as a tax on Christmas, and on Wednesday, the government decided to revisit the proposal later, The Associated Press reported.

The fee had been requested by the National Christmas Tree Association and was expected to raise $2 million for promotional programs to benefit the live-tree industry. It was meant to mirror other federal programs to market milk, beef and cotton, according to the association.

But an additional 15 cents per tree is a burden local growers can’t afford, said Lisa Gaver, co-owner of Gaver Tree Farm in Mount Airy.

“We are not for the 15-cent-per-tree assessment, fee or tax — whatever you want to label it,” Gaver said. “It still is money to be paid out of our pockets. As growers that affects our bottom line.”

On Wednesday, White House spokesman Matt Lehrich said the U.S. Department of Agriculture would delay the program, but defended it, saying it was not a tax.

“I can tell you unequivocally that the Obama administration is not taxing Christmas trees,” Lehrich said. “What’s being talked about here is an industry group deciding to impose fees on itself to fund a promotional campaign.”

On Thursday, the National Christmas Tree Association issued a statement, saying the program has gone through two industrywide comment periods during which 565 comments were submitted from interested parties.

“More than 70 percent of the growers posting comments, and nearly 90 percent of the state and multi-state associations that posted comments indicated that they were in favor of the program,” the association stated. “The program is designed to benefit the industry and will be funded by the growers at a rate of 15 cents per tree sold.”

The Christmas tree industry is facing stiff competition from artificial trees and “a steady, reliable marketing effort is needed to take back our market share,” said Joncie Underwood, Maryland’s National Christmas Tree Association director and a tree grower from Cecil County, in a statement Friday.

“We may be selling all the trees we want today, but it’s not going to keep up,” Underwood said. Consistent funding is needed to tell the real tree story, she said.

Union Bridge tree farmer Michael J. Ryan is unconvinced.

Local growers are doing their fair share promoting natural Christmas trees, said Ryan, owner and operator of Clemsonville Christmas Tree Farm.

“I don’t support the tax because we’re already doing as much promotion as we possibly can,” Ryan said. “We spend quite a bit of our own money promoting trees. I don’t think the tax is necessary.”

Gaver said local farmers work hard to offer a top-quality product.

“Real trees are the better choice for the environment and our economy, and we always spend our advertising dollars carefully. To be told that we have to fund a national program will take dollars away from the local economy,” Gaver said.

Copyright 2011 The Frederick News-Post. All rights reserved.