A Christmas tree shortage means farms could run out of trees early

[FakeNoose]

Why is there a Christmas tree shortage? Long growing seasons, unpredictable weather events, and 2007's Great Recession. (Counterpoint: Maybe it's all fine.)



Philly Inquirer link: https://www.inquirer.com/news/pennsylvania/chrismtas-tree-shortage-2023-20231208.html

Growing live Christmas trees, it turns out, isn’t so simple — more subject to the whims of supply and demand than, say, lettuce. Pennsylvania and New Jersey tree farmers say there is a “tight supply” this season, and some farms may close earlier than usual to protect future Christmases. If you haven’t gotten a real tree yet, go now, no later than this weekend, they urged.

... Christmas tree farmers work on extremely advanced schedules — the average tree takes 10 years to mature. That means farmers today have to wonder what the market will look like in 2033, while also tending to their plants for the 2029 and 2030 crops. There’s pruning and pest control to be done — things they can somewhat control — and then there’s climate change and the occasional arctic blast.

... “This past spring, just before Memorial Day, in parts of the Midwest and Pennsylvania, we had a spring freeze, a 29-degree day,” said Gary Hague, a farmer who grows and sells Christmas trees in Wyoming County and Hatfield, Montgomery County. “We were just breaking bud with new growth. I won’t be able to sell those trees.”

During the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, when people were urged to get outside, demand went through the roof at cut-your-own farms. Last year, farmers told The Inquirer that record drought forced them to irrigate heavily, bumping up prices for consumers.
Economic forces, dating as far back as the Great Recession of the late 2000s, prompted some farms to shutter and sell, directly affecting today’s supply. Hague, who’s on the Pennsylvania Christmas Tree Growers Association’s board of directors, said there are not many younger people at the meetings. Still, Pennsylvania is one of the nation’s largest suppliers, with approximately 1,400 farms.

- more at link -

[Demovictory9]

1. 6 days ago in cAlif. Guy driving $75k suv steals tree from another car

[SWBTATTReg]

2. I had a Xmas tree farm. It takes years for the trees to grow, constant upkeep/trimming, and my big thing,

was the abundance of deer, they loved eating the young trees. It would be often that we'd find trees literally eaten in 1/2, and then you would have a 1/2 of a tree, which you of course you couldn't sell. So, you could either replace a batch of the 1/2 eaten trees every year and go into another cycle which you had to track.

[FakeNoose]

6. I hadn't heard that, but to me it's one more reason to hate those damn deer

[SWBTATTReg]

7. They eat everything! We live near a state park, and the number of deer there was astonishing. It seemed

like the deer knew that they were safe there in the park (and they were)! Almost everyone in our MH park (behind the park) had, over the years, hit a deer. Fortunately none of the accidents were serious but they sure could have been. Driving through the park itself as we had to go (our way to our place was that you had to go through the park), you would encounter literally hundreds of deer, I've never seen so many in one place.

And the problem w/ the deer is that they get smaller (not enough food and such), and they get to eating anything and everything, not just Xmas trees, ornamental plants, bushes, fruit trees, grass, everything was at risk.

Further added:

And by the way, it was nothing for people to stop by, when no one was there at the tree farm, and swipe a tree from us (we had like 20 acres in the front of the property), we would drive up on our gravel road and immediately notice a tree or so missing. It was frustrating, w/ all of the work we put into it, planting, pruning, fertilizing, mowing, etc.

[FakeNoose]

8. I live in the city limits of Pittsburgh and I'm surrounded by the stupid deer

I can't grow daylilies or any nice flowers in my garden. They treat it like their free salad bar every night. I think they don't like geraniums because those seem to be safe. It must be worse out in the suburbs but I don't really know.

[Freddie]

9. Rats with hooves

A major driving hazard around here (Philly burbs), I didn’t know they ate small trees! There’s herds of them in my neighborhood. Just about everyone I know has hit one at one time.

[CrispyQ]

3. For all the people who want a "live" tree.

I feel so bad after the new year seeing all the de-frocked trees tossed out with the weekly garbage.

[OAITW r.2.0]

4. We have a shit ton up here in Maine. Glad to help out.....

Seriously, my neighbor, across the road from me, has probably 1000 15/20 footers in the field that was once an awesome hayfield back 30 years ago. If there folks with 20' ceilings have a need, got a lotta trees to ship south. Say, $15,00/ft plus carrier costs?

[OAITW r.2.0]

5. I used to cut my own on the property.......many to choose from.

No longer need to. No kids, no wife, no reason. I do have a wreath up at the entrance. That's the extent of my Christmas.