The Thanksgiving turkeys are still frozen, but Hawai'i's first batch of Christmas trees has arrived and another shipment is almost here.

The first shipment, destined for the Neighbor Islands and for displays, arrived Saturday from the Pacific Northwest and was inspected by state Department of Agriculture officials. The main shipment of trees — about 100 containers — arrives Saturday.

In the first shipment, the state held back two of the 38 containers because it found Arion slugs, which are not found in Hawai'i, said Janelle Saneishi, Agriculture Department spokeswoman.

"Last year we had a 747 filled with trees because we found wasps in some of the trees," Saneishi said. "We open each container, but don't inspect every tree for pests."

With daily news of a fluctuating stock market and layoffs coming in every sector of the economy, tree retailers are banking on the fact that consumers still will open their wallets at Christmas. Christmas Hawai'i owner Richard Tajiri, who has been bringing in trees for 33 years, said there is one bright spot: Fuel surcharges have dropped five times over the past several months, reducing the cost of shipping.

Tajiri and others are not sure what to expect over the next 37 days before Christmas. He's bringing in more low-end trees to encourage shoppers to buy a live tree rather than an artificial tree or going without. If the e-mails and phone calls are any indication, business will be good this year, Tajiri said.

"The market is a bit soft, but people are ordering trees. I've got some good prices from the farmers. I'm a bit worried about the economy, so I cut back on my counts (the number of trees) and I've stocked up on shorter trees."

Last year more than 31.3 million Christmas trees were sold nationwide, according to the National Christmas Tree Association. Hawai'i's year-round weather and humid air does not allow the growth of the popular Noble and Douglas fir Christmas trees. Retailers have been shipping them in for more than a century.

"We're just starting to cut down trees," Tajiri said. "Our first load is arriving this weekend. We'll pass the savings on to the people. That's our style. I know the economy is not great all over, and people don't want to spend a lot of money on things."

For those looking for a more green alternative to importing a Christmas conifer, residents can check out Helemano Farms in Whitmore Village, where more than 12,000 Norfolk island pines grow. Trees are cut above the first layer of branches, allowing them to regrow at the tree farm and further adding to their environmental-friendliness.

The farm has been in business since 2002, and for $40, you can cut down on your carbon footprint, support a local business and choose a tree that won't risk introducing a non-native species to Hawai'i, said Aaron O'Brien, company owner.

An artificial tree cannot be recycled, despite it being plastic, O'Brien said.

"There's no fuel used on our farm," O'Brien said. "The only fuel used is when they come to the farm to pick out their tree. And there's no threat of introducing an invasive species."