There may be a Christmas tree shortage this year because growers planted fewer trees during the Great Recession nearly a decade ago when sales were declining.
National Christmas Tree Association spokesperson Doug Hundley blames the recession for a decline in popular Christmas tree sizes of 7 or 8 feet, which take about 10 years to grow.
“The result, 10 years later, is today’s smaller supply,” Hundley said, ABC News reported. “Unfortunately it is happening at a time when the economy is good and demand is high. We cannot manufacture real Christmas trees.”
Hundley said prices of trees would vary by type, size, and where it is purchased. He recommended buying a tree early in the season to avoid missing out on a live tree.
Newsweek reported Christmas tree prices might be as much as 10 percent higher this year.
A GWD Forestry report suggested droughts and wildfires might make the shortage last until 2025 and noted the number of Christmas trees planted each year has dropped from 5.6 million in 2010 to 3.7 million in 2015.
Some sellers used some of their 2017 supply of trees in 2016 after overselling their supplies, which made the shortage even more pronounced this year, the report noted. It suggested that Canadian tree sellers may be able to meet some of the demand.
Maryland tree farmer Gary Thomas said he thought many tree farmers were retiring and that fewer people wanted to be tree farmers today.
“Our industry is an aging one where the current farmers do not have a family member to take over the business so they are simply slowly going out of the business,” Thomas told Fox Business.
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