The rush is on for the perfect Christmas tree for this year, and KTRH Gardenline host Randy Lemmon says you can expect to pay around $80 for a six-footer brought in from North Carolina or the Pacific Northwest.
We're still reeling from the impact of the 2008 recession when people dramatically reduced discretionary spending, causing growers to severely cut back on plantings or going out of business altogether. Randy says you'll see that reflected in the price.
"They went up a little bit from last year. Last year was the really big increase and that was because of the recession from 2008. Demand is still up but the shortage is there," he says.
According to Angie Smith, executive director of the Pacific Northwest Christmas Tree Association, there are simply fewer trees available than there were ten years ago. From 2007 to 2017 the number of Christmas trees cut for sale has dropped 13% while the number of acres devoted to Christmas tree groves dropped 14%.
Randy suggests going to an independent garden center for the best trees, pointing out that box stores and grocery stores get their supplies from mass distributors who cut their product very early in the season.