There is a Christmas tree shortage in Ontario this winter
- Oluseyi Olomodosi
- 29 Nov 2019
Any Ontarians who are hoping to find the perfect fir tree to decorate their living room this Christmas should head to a farm as soon as possible and buy it as while they’re still there.
It feels like they say this every year, but this year, Christmas Tree Farmers of Ontario warns that their advice holds extra weight. Because of a set of random and peculiar events that happened to coincide at the perfect time, there is a province-wide shortage of Fraser firs.
One of the main factors is, naturally, a large increase in demand. For the last five years, Christmas tree sales have increased by about 20 percent each year. On top of this, Fraser firs take a decade to grow into Christmas trees so shortages were inevitable. It was never a matter of ‘if’, only ‘when’.
The decade-long growth time isn’t something that farmers can do much about, which makes it impossible for them to adjust their crop sizes to meet the demand. Any firs a farmer plants today will not be commercially available until around 2030, so while demand has surged, supply has remained the same.
Going natural this holiday means spending time with your loved ones searching for the perfect Christmas tree! Ben & Marina visited @drysdalestrees in Egbert, Ontario this past weekend, where they settled on a 6' Fraser Fir. What do you look for in a tree? #ItTakesAForest pic.twitter.com/OU1ZK1gd0k
— Forests Ontario (@Forests_Ontario) November 26, 2019
Not only has demand increased, but ten years ago we were in the midst of a major economic recession. Like most businesses, farmers don’t typically take risks during recessions, so very few farms expanded their properties until the economy began to improve. The lack of extra space meant that even if they had been able to predict demand ten years into the future, they wouldn’t have had anywhere to plant more trees.
2008 and 2009 weren’t just bad for farmers economically, but the climate itself was uncooperative. The tree industry suffered as severe weather affected seedlings and undermined crops in what was already a down year.
Despite the shortage of firs, there are still other solid Christmas tree options available in Ontario, such as Spruce and White Pine. Artificial trees are also, of course, a readily-available option. But if you’re insistent on getting a fir? The best option is to pick it up as early as possible and avoid disappointment. Even if you don’t set it up right away, storing it in a cool, protected place can keep it fresh until you’re ready to put it up in your house.
Hamiltonians looking for the perfect tree need not travel far – Merry Farms, Rina’s Christmas Trees, and Watson Christmas Trees are all great local options to find an excellent assortment of Christmas trees.
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