Donors appreciate legacy supporting Christmas trees and cut flowers while planning for the future
Anyone who brings a real conifer into their home each December, enjoys cut flowers, or has ornamental plants in their landscaping is indebted to Gary Chastagner for making that experience a reality.
Chastagner, a renowned plant pathologist at Washington State University, earned the nickname “Dr. Christmas Tree” for his nearly five decades spent researching the traditional holiday decorations. His work has also aided the flower bulb, turfgrass, nursery, and landscaping industries, all of which fall under the umbrella of ornamental crops.
Chastagner has worked to help producers and growers fight off diseases, find better-adapted species, and sustain the production of high-quality ornamentals at WSU for 46 years. With plans to fully retire in April 2025, Chastagner recently reduced his workload to a half-time position, which, colleagues joke, means he’s only working 40 hours a week. Chastagner’s retirement is a well-earned reward for a career that has impacted so many people, but it will leave a large void at WSU and in the ornamental crop industries across the Pacific Northwest (PNW).
“The Christmas tree industry coast to coast owes Gary a great deal of gratitude,” said John Tillman, owner of Elma, Washington-based Tillman Christmas Trees. “His research and the cures he has found have allowed us to continue selling healthy trees.”
Tillman is only one of many who sing Chastagner’s praises for a body of research that goes far beyond the Pacific Northwest.
“Tree breeders today are using concepts Gary developed as standard operating procedures,” said Jim Rockis, owner of Reliable Source, a Christmas tree seed and transplant business headquartered in West Virginia. “The methods he developed to tease out needle retention are extraordinarily pragmatic and cost-effective. As new species of Christmas trees are developed using these principles, consumers and the market will benefit. Dr. Chastagner’s work will forever be a gift to current and future Christmas tree farmers and breeders.”
Following Chastagner’s astounding career, a succession plan is needed. To help lay the groundwork, the Pacific Northwest Christmas Tree Association (PNWCTA) and the Washington State Nursery and Landscape Association (WSNLA) have joined forces to establish the Dr. Gary Chastagner Endowed Chair Fund.
The fund will provide research funding in perpetuity for Chastagner’s replacement, helping the ornamental plant industries continue to thrive.
“Our evolving climate continues to put pressure on plants, trees, and green spaces throughout Washington,” said Breanne Chavez, WSNLA executive director. “Through this endowment, research will work to improve plants’ chances for survival when they are faced with unfavorable environmental conditions and parasitic microorganisms that cause disease.”
The fund was established with combined donations of $358,000 from select members of the PNWCTA, WSNLA, the Washington Christmas Tree Grower Licensing Program and Grower Advisory Committee, and the Washington Nursery Advisory Committee. The fund must reach $1.5 million to fully endow the chair fund.
“The university has a lot of demand for positions,” Chastagner said. “Creating an endowment shows WSU how vital this position is to industry.”
Chastagner said he was surprised when told everyone involved wanted to name the new chair after him.
“It’s not just me; this honors the legacy of the program that I’ve helped build alongside graduate students, postdocs, technicians, and others who have worked on research projects for many years,” Chastagner said.