Xmas tree growers battle for market share
Millennials have earned a reputation for loving consumer products that are local and artisinal. So why are they buying so many plastic Christmas trees?
That’s the question irking Tim O’Connor, the executive director of the Christmas Tree Promotion Board in Littleton, Colorado.
Real trees have all the things younger adults are drawn to, he said, touting authenticity, benefits to the environment and support for regional economies.
To help capture more buyers, growers are positioning themselves as analogs to the local and organic food movement.
They’ve got their work cut out for them. While almost 95 million
Only 19 per cent of US Christmas trees are expected to be real
US households will display a Christmas tree this season, only 19 per cent of those are expected to be real, according to a survey by the American Christmas Tree Association.
However, the tide could already be starting to change, according to George Richardson, a fifth generation farmer in Illinois.
‘‘Real Christmas trees were immensely popular in 40s, 50s, 60s, 70s, 80s, and then the fake trees got in,’’ he said.
‘‘For a while, people thought, this is so convenient, let’s do that. Now we’re finding out that maybe they’re not the healthiest, pristine thing we thought they were, and they’ll end up in a landfill.’’
The best customers of real trees are families with children. Only 20 percent of millennials currently have young children, O’Connor said, leaving the lion’s share of the biggest generation -- and their future Christmas traditions -- still up for grabs.
Still, artificial trees appeal to consumers looking for re-usability and convenience, said Jami Warner of the American Christmas Tree Association.
And there’s another hurdle for real trees: rising prices. Tree supplies are tight in the US, due to plantings taking a hit during the 2008 recession.
- The Washington Post