A Christmas tree shortage may keep you from having the perfect live tree for the holidays!
PHILOMATH, OR – NOVEMBER 18: A workers at Holiday Tree Farms tags freshly harvested Christmas trees at the Beaver Creek shipping yard on November 18, 2017 in Philomath, Oregon. The Christmas tree harvest is underway at Holiday Tree Farms, the biggest grower of holiday trees in the United States, as workers harvest and ship an estimated one million trees ahead of the Christmas holiday. (Photo by Justin Sullivan/Getty Images)
According to the Charlotte Observer, the recession that began in 2008 is still affecting tree farms across the country. Because the demand for real Christmas trees was low at the time, farmers didn’t plant as many.
Now those seeds have grown into fully-grown trees and there just aren’t as many to supply the demand.
According to the 2012 United States Department of Agriculture census, North Carolina is the second largest producer of Christmas trees in the U.S., harvesting over 4 million or nearly 25% of the total trees harvested in the U.S.
Virginia ranks seventh, only harvesting nearly 500,000 trees.
Because of the shortage, tree prices are expected to increase.
According to a report from GWD Forestry, the shortage of popular-sized trees could last until 2025. They say droughts and wildfires are also adding to the shortages.
So if you’re looking for a live tree, it’s better to look early before supply runs low!
