It's all over the news.......apparently there is a Christmas tree shortage and prices are up 10% over last year! To put it in perspective, the average buyer spent $36.50 on a Christmas tree in 2008 and $74.70 in 2016. Don't worry, you will still be able to get a tree but the selection might be less especially as you head into Christmas week.
What happened? ...........
Less consumers bought Christmas trees during the financial crisis in 2008, and growers responded by cutting down fewer trees to sell. As a result, there was less space to plant replacements—which has the effect of smaller selections today, the Times reports. “It’s not like buying plastic cups. You can’t just turn a tree out in a factory,” says Darren Nicholson, assistant manager at the Boyd Mountain Christmas Tree Farm in Waynesville, N.C. “Once you cut it, you have to wait 10 years to replace it."
There are fewer farmers growing firs, spruces, and pines for the holiday season. Oregon, the top state for tree exports, has seen the number of licensed growers drop from 699 in 2010 to 392 today. Further, droughts and recent wildfires have limited the selections at tree farms.
Source: “Why You’ll Probably Pay More for Your Christmas Tree This Year,” The New York Times (Nov. 30, 2017)