Christmas tree shortage likely means higher prices this holiday

Kathy Kogut, Executive Director of the Connecticut Christmas Tree Growers Association, said the popularity of the choose-and-cut farm has helped renew the tradition of the entire family selecting and cutting a Christmas tree.

“We have gotten our trees here for the past 13 years”, Pullen said as her granddaughters Paige, 6, and Grace, 5, smile up at the fir they picked out moments before.

Despite higher prices, people continue to pick a tree earlier each year. If heavy snows prevented USFS crews from clearing roads, access remained limited and often brought less traffic to the mountains to harvest Christmas trees. That’s because tree lots across the nation might seem a little lean. Even the Claridge hotel in London, known for its Christmas tree installation, debuted an upside-down one this year.

“I was on a register for three hours, and I saw a lot of trees come through”, Associate Larkin Jones said. “We sell 550 trees out of here and that’s 550 families we like to give trees”.

The primary technology developed in Dr. Lada’s lab is being licensed to members of the Nova Scotia Christmas Tree Coop. Therefore, inside the home, place the tree away from a heat source to prolong its life.

“We couldn’t do this without our parents and the friends we have who are always so willing to lend a hand”, Emily Perkins said. A tree takes about 10 years to reach average size before making it to the market.

“The donation benefits so many kids”, Cooper said. “This is part of their year”.

“I totally dislike artificial trees”.

Sovine expects his lot to be flooded with customers this weekend. The drawback is the trees were cut weeks before at tree farms and are not fresh.

“It’s one form of retail where everybody usually is in a good mood”, he said.

The successful development and commercial licensing of a new Christmas tree that will last longer and ship earlier was announced Thursday morning at Dalhousie’s Agricultural Campus in Bible Hill, and is set to completely change the province’s Christmas tree industry.

The price of trees available from the U.S. Forest Service is staying steady this year.

Permit holders venture into the woods to cut trees from designated areas.