This is why your Christmas tree is so expensive
Weather, wildfires and recession are to blame for shortage
This year, buying a Christmas tree might leave your pocketbook, well, Scrooged. That’s because a national tree shortage has caused an increase in prices on firs, spruces and pines in some areas of the country, according to the Miami Herald. The shortage mostly stems from the Great Recession in 2008, when holiday
shoppers weren’t feeling particularly festive during the greatest financial crisis since the Great Depression. Growers responded by planting fewer trees to sell. Replenishment takes time, since some trees need up to 10 years to mature before they’re ready for that corner in your family room. Wildfires and hurricanes contributed to the decrease in supply, the Miami Herald reported. To make matters worse, the number
of Christmas tree farmers has been on a steady decline for several years. Oregon, the nation’s top producer of Christmas trees, had 699 licensed growers in 2010. As of last year, that number dropped to 392, according to ABC News. Though the lack of trees is widespread, smaller sellers feel the impact most. “Larger retailers are impacted less by the shortage because they buy a variety
of trees in large volume,” Liz Simone, the store manager at the Home Depot in North Miami, told the Miami Herald.
The uptick in sales price has caused some buyers to rethink their purchasing behavior.
“We were thinking about getting a 6-footer,” said Mike Pruitt, 32, a construction worker from Harlem, New York. “But now that we see the cost, my partner and I will probably get a smaller tree. Maybe we’ll even just get one of those plastic fake ones from a dollar store.”
Pruitt was having a look at live trees during his lunch break in Midtown Manhattan. “I planned on surprising my family with a tree today, but I can’t justify spending over $100 on a stick with some pine needles on it,” Pruitt said.
In the swanky neighborhood that sits southwest of Central Park, an outdoor vendor on 57th Street and 9th Avenue sold trees that ranged from $20 to $30 per foot. The plush trees with multiple branches were closer to $30 per foot, while the sparser shrubs cost less.
At NYC Trees, a 15-minute walk from the heart of Manhattan, sales staff said farmers charge a little more this year for the spruces, so customers pay about $5 more for a tree in some cases.
A 4-foot-tall Fraser fir in the Hell’s Kitchen neighborhood of Manhattan was priced at $50. Online, the NYC Trees retailer sells 4-footers for $109, including the stand, skirt and installation.
How can you save money? Shop later.
The average price of a Christmas tree in the USA drops to its lowest point at $47 on Christmas Eve, according to a report by Square and the National Christmas Tree Association.
Buying a tree around Cyber Monday costs Americans $77 on average and around mid-December, the price drops to about $64.
This year, Amazon sells full-size Christmas trees for the first time at $109.99.
Artificial trees at the online retailer are priced as low as $24.95.