If you plan on purchasing a Christmas tree, it may be wise to make a selection soon because of a possible Christmas tree shortage. Growers did not plant as many trees during the 2008 recession when demand for them was diminished and now eleven years down the road there are fewer Christmas trees available. That also means you will pay a little more for that tree this year. A five foot tree with roots is going for about $70 this year in our area.
North Carolina ranks second in the nation for Christmas trees harvested, with more than 4 million trees annually and sales totaling in excess of $86 million. NC has approximately 854 growers utilizing almost 39,000 acres for the Christmas trees. Individual growers may sell anywhere from a couple dozen to hundreds of thousands with 94 percent of them being Frazier firs.
