Gary Chastagner

For more than 40 years, Washington State University Extension scientist Gary Chastagner has found solutions to Christmas tree diseases and other related problems, helping ensure the beloved holiday tradition remains possible. Known worldwide as “Dr. Christmas Tree,” Chastagner has also played an important role in keeping Christmas tree farms in the Pacific Northwest and beyond economically viable. “When I receive letters of support from family Christmas tree farmers expressing how our research has had a positive impact on their ability to produce high-quality trees, I share them with everyone in our lab,” said Chastagner, who is based at the WSU Puyallup Research and Extension Center. Chastagner didn’t intend to become one of the world’s foremost experts on tree and ornamental flower bulb pathologies. But a biology teacher’s enthusiasm proved infectious in his formative years, and Chastagner’s curiosity about plants and their pathologies took root.