diff --git a/release/Makefile b/release/Makefile
index 9c92bfaea533..ab81fc1cc04f 100644
--- a/release/Makefile
+++ b/release/Makefile
@@ -270,7 +270,7 @@ packagesystem: base.txz kernel.txz ${EXTRA_PACKAGES}
 
 pkg-stage:
 .if !defined(NOPKG)
-	env REPOS_DIR=${.CURDIR}/pkg_repos/ \
+	env PORTSDIR=${PORTSDIR} REPOS_DIR=${.CURDIR}/pkg_repos/ \
 		sh ${.CURDIR}/scripts/pkg-stage.sh
 	mkdir -p ${.OBJDIR}/dvd/packages/repos/
 	cp ${.CURDIR}/scripts/FreeBSD_install_cdrom.conf \
diff --git a/release/scripts/pkg-stage.sh b/release/scripts/pkg-stage.sh
index dd26e4b79578..fe4ffd9695d0 100755
--- a/release/scripts/pkg-stage.sh
+++ b/release/scripts/pkg-stage.sh
@@ -10,6 +10,7 @@ export PKG_DBDIR="/tmp/pkg"
 export PERMISSIVE="YES"
 export REPO_AUTOUPDATE="NO"
 export PKGCMD="/usr/sbin/pkg -d"
+export PORTSDIR="${PORTSDIR:-/usr/ports}"
 
 _DVD_PACKAGES="archivers/unzip
 devel/subversion
@@ -33,8 +34,8 @@ x11/kde4
 x11/xorg"
 
 # If NOPORTS is set for the release, do not attempt to build pkg(8).
-if [ ! -f /usr/ports/Makefile ]; then
-	echo "*** /usr/ports is missing!    ***"
+if [ ! -f ${PORTSDIR}/Makefile ]; then
+	echo "*** ${PORTSDIR} is missing!    ***"
 	echo "*** Skipping pkg-stage.sh     ***"
 	echo "*** Unset NOPORTS to fix this ***"
 	exit 0
@@ -42,7 +43,7 @@ fi
 
 if [ ! -x /usr/local/sbin/pkg ]; then
 	/etc/rc.d/ldconfig restart
-	/usr/bin/make -C /usr/ports/ports-mgmt/pkg install clean
+	/usr/bin/make -C ${PORTSDIR}/ports-mgmt/pkg install clean
 fi
 
 export DVD_DIR="dvd/packages"
@@ -58,7 +59,7 @@ fi
 # Ensure the ports listed in _DVD_PACKAGES exist to sanitize the
 # final list.
 for _P in ${_DVD_PACKAGES}; do
-	if [ -d "/usr/ports/${_P}" ]; then
+	if [ -d "${PORTSDIR}/${_P}" ]; then
 		DVD_PACKAGES="${DVD_PACKAGES} ${_P}"
 	else
 		echo "*** Skipping nonexistent port: ${_P}"