Canadians looking to buy a living Christmas tree this season should start shopping now and expect to pay more, says the Canadian Christmas Tree Growers Association.
Farmers expect 2020 to be a record year for sales. Association leader Larry Downey says it’s just supply and demand: a shortage of trees coupled with a greater appetite from people hoping to revitalize their living space amid widespread stay-at-home orders.
“Personally, we don’t see COVID affect us,” says Downey, his family farm in Hatley, Que. sells up to 30,000 Christmas trees every year.
Most of the wholesale growers Downey spoke to this year have already hit sales records, he added, with much of the demand coming from suppliers in the US. Retailers usually order their trees as early as June, says Downey.
The Christmas tree market is still feeling the effects of the great recession that put many US growers out of business and caused others to cut back on planting. Since it takes eight to ten years for seedlings to reach the size of a typical Christmas tree, the effects of lower supply have only recently emerged.
The shortage, in turn, has pushed prices up. Downey said Christmas trees will retail for about $ 5 more this year, continuing a trend that has persisted for several years. The average price of a tree rose 123 percent from US $ 35 in 2013 to US $ 78 in 2018, according to the US National Christmas Tree Association.
Prices are also rising in Canada. Stephane Bernier, who runs the Bernier Plantation in Lac-Brome, Que., And Bronwyn Harper, co-owner of Hillcrest Tree Farm near Ottawa, say they raised Christmas tree prices this year.
In addition to the shortage, tree sellers are expecting strong demand from consumers looking for some physically distant outdoor activity and adding some vacation joy to their homes, where people spend more time amid a second wave of Covid-19 cases. The pandemic has already resulted in higher than expected spending in the hardware store, a trend that could have a positive impact on Christmas tree sales.
Some tree varieties, such as Fraser Fir, which are valued for their pleasant scent and excellent needle retention, are even more in demand. Harper says she’s selling Frasertannen for around $ 85 – or $ 20 more than last year – after her supplier increased prices. (Fraser firs can’t grow on their property because of the terrain, says Harper.)
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The expected demand for Christmas trees has sparked a rush for some retailers to buy more trees wholesale.
Phil Quinn, the co-owner of Quinn Farm near Montreal, said he had to buy additional trees from wholesalers to sell on his farm because he hadn’t grown enough on his own property to meet demand he expects this year. And Harper says she got a lot of calls from people looking for wholesale trees even though she only sells to retail customers.
“Everyone wants a tree and they want it now,” says Quinn, who expects the trees to sell out by the second week of December.
Although the demand for trees is expected to be strong, the pandemic has presented tree sellers with challenges of their own. Most vendors won’t be able to offer the same attractions this year as physical distance requirements force farms to cancel additional draws like wagon rides and fire pits.
Harper says her biggest challenge this year will be developing clear distancing guidelines for people who pick trees. For example, the farm owners do not allow people to bring their dogs, nor do they offer sleigh or carriage rides. Instead of serving hot cider, Hillcrest Tree Farm gives people takeaway treats when they leave.
“What could have been an hour-long visit will be a shorter visit this year,” says Harper.
Similarly, Serge Lapointe, the owner of Plantation JLS in Sainte-Angele-de-Monnoir, Que., Says that his farm has no opportunity for Christmas tree buyers to gather this year, unlike in previous years when they have visitor rides and rides offered the opportunity to take a picture with Santa Claus.
One aspect of the Christmas tree market to watch this year will be how lockdown orders affect tree purchases, including whether to pick them up in person or order them online, says Paul Quinn (unrelated to Phil Quinn ), an analyst at RBC Dominion Securities who studies Christmas tree sales year on year.
Retail tree sellers could face competition from major online gamers: On their websites, Home Depot and Walmart list natural fiber fir trees for sale that can be shipped before Christmas. A search on the Amazon website returned no results for natural Christmas trees, even though the company has a variety of artificial trees for sale.
According to Phil Quinn, people want to take the opportunity to personally choose their own tree. However, his farm sees greater interest in the option to choose and cut, even if Quebec has its highest COVID-19 alert.
“People just ask about some kind of normalcy,” says Quinn.
Jon Victor, the Canadian press
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