Just Another Item to Add to the List
Photo by Seoyeon Choi on Unsplash
Just the other day, I passed a Christmas tree lot and remarked to my wife how full it looked. Sure, it was still early in the season but imagine my surprise when I found out Christmas trees are in short supply this year. Just another item to add to the list.
My surprise grew when I learned it is not pandemic related but instead directly attributed to the economic downturn of 2008. The average Christmas tree requires a decade of growth before it becomes the magical size just right for one’s living room.
Fifteen years ago, there was a surplus in the number of trees available. Then the 2008 financial crisis hit, and people quit buying them. This caused farmers to plant fewer trees the following year, and now we have a shortage. Couple this with the extreme heat and wildfires in the northwest that ravaged some farms this year, and you have the makings of a significant shortfall.
What the pandemic has contributed to is the high cost of trees. The cost of fertilizer and fuel has increased, along with a national labor shortage. On average, the cost to transport the trees has increased by 25%. Ultimately, these increases are shifted to the consumer.
As the consumer, expect to pay more and if you are looking for a tree- do it early. The supply will only dwindle as we enter into December.
Photo by Aurelio Arantes on Unsplash