‘O Christmas Tree’: demand for trees spike but supply is low
Posted December 5, 2019 10:12 am.
Last Updated December 5, 2019 12:17 pm.
This article is more than 5 years old.
CALGARY (660 NEWS) – You may have to search a little harder to find that natural Christmas tree this year.
That’s because there’s a shortage of real trees across Canada, mainly due to poor weather affecting growers this year after planting a decade ago.
“In 2008, we had extremely hot weather in central Canada and in 2009 it was extremely hot in B.C. when they had the forest fires,” said Shirley Brennan with the Canadian Christmas Tree Growers. “Christmas tree farmers may have planted the status quo, what they’re used to planting. Some of them may have backed off due to financial uneasiness.”
Brennan adds another reason is the blossoming demand for the real thing.
“We could not have forecasted such a huge growth but the demand has almost doubled in the last five years.”
Christmas trees weren’t the only holiday staple in scarce demand this year. In October, several stores in Calgary ran out of pumpkins just before Halloween.
WATCH: Where have all the pumpkins gone?
Brennan recommends, don’t wait and pick up a real tree before they’re all gone.
However, because of the shortage, it’s likely you’ll be paying more for a real tree.
Blue Grass Nursery, north of Calgary says trees are flying off the shelves. Its prices range from $90-130 for a seven-foot to an eight-foot tree.
Porter River Christmas Trees has already sold out of many smaller trees, with the least expensive on for $120.
There are cheaper ways to find a tree as the 31st Scouts Group is once again selling trees, some as low as $35 according to its website.
Or, if you prefer to cut your own, you can get a permit from Alberta Forestry for $5.25. That allows you to cut up to three trees in designated sites on crown land.
[pdf-embedder url=”https://www.660citynews.com/wp-content/blogs.dir/sites/8/2019/12/05/ForestAreasMap-Jan12-2017.pdf”]
