The holidays start early in Philomath, Oregon, the home of Holiday Tree Farms, the largest grower of holiday trees in the U.S.

The images in the slideshow above provide a glimpse into a process that involve workers harvesting and shipping an estimated one million trees ahead of the Christmas holiday.

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There are close to 15,000 farms growing Christmas trees in the U.S., according to the National Christmas Tree Association. The industry employs over 100,000 full-time and part-time workers.

It can take as many as 15 years to grow a tree of typical height (6-7 feet) or as little as four years, but the average growing time is seven years.

The top Christmas tree-producing states are Oregon, North Carolina, Michigan, Pennsylvania, Wisconsin and Washington.

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