In a year marked by shortages of everything from toilet paper to yeast, it may not come as much of a surprise that the next big shortage is shaping up to be the one thing many Torontonians were looking forward to most at the end of a terrible year — Christmas trees.
“By the 15th I think there’s not going to be a tree available,” said Judy Clark, manager of the East End Garden Centre, which on Tuesday got its last shipment of Christmas trees for the year.
Demand is higher than ever, Clarke said, with people “willing to pay a bit more for a good quality tree” in a year marked by devastation.
But the combination of low supply and high demand have led to Christmas tree lots being overwhelmed, many selling out early, Clarke said. “The places that were given designations to open up that do have trees are really getting bombarded.”
With COVID-19, it’s been a challenge to operate, she added — this year, the centre became an open-air market to safely accommodate customers. It’s also been more difficult than usual to get employees to come in, she said.
Many tree farms have already closed for the season, said Shirley Brennan, executive director of the Canadian Christmas Tree Growers Association. Though demand is higher than usual this year, supply has also been affected, she said, not just by COVID-19, but by the last big North American crisis — the recession of 2008.
Following the recession, Christmas tree farmers in North America didn’t plant as many trees as usual, she said, or didn’t go ahead with planned expansions.
And since Christmas trees take around 10 years to grow before they’re ready for your living room, we’re seeing the results of that dip now, Brennan said.
As well, nature has not been kind to tree growers, she said. For one, a few years ago there was a June freeze that affected Nova Scotia’s Christmas trees, and forest fires in British Columbia have caused droughts over the years that have also affected the trees.
“We have a business plan for 10 years, and in that 10 years a lot of things can happen,” she said, adding many sellers have had to buy from more sources than usual to fill demand.
All the while, demand for Christmas trees has steadily increased by 10 to 15 per cent every year, Brennan said — and this year, it spiked.
Jim Watson of Watson Christmas Trees said the farm, which is now closed for the season, started getting calls about Christmas trees even before they were open.
“I would say it was busier this year than other years,” he said, adding that demand for trees has gone up every year he’s been in the business.
“There’s always been a feeling that artificial trees are going to take over and put us out of business, and yet … it’s been busier every year since I’ve been in it.”
Brennan thinks this is because many younger people are turning to classic trees instead of plastic ones, and that families, unable to gather this year, are now buying one per household, as opposed to just one for the house where they would normally gather.
Amin Datoo, store manager of Sheridan Nurseries’ Toronto location, said their store has been lucky — they’ve received all the trees they preordered in May and June, and have been able to procure more to deal with heightened demand.
On Tuesday, they, too, got their last shipment of 400 trees, 250 more than they originally intended, Datoo said.
“We’re pretty well stocked now.”
Adding to the surge in demand, Datoo said, are people who normally go south for the winter; unable to travel, many are now buying a tree — even two, if they’re spending Christmas at the cottage.
The nursery is also seeing more young people buying smaller trees with roots to comply with condominium regulations, or tabletop trees.
Datoo said the price of Christmas trees has been rising every year, but this year the extra staffing and COVID-19 gear might drive up the cost a little more.
Christmas tree prices will vary depending on the type of tree, Brennan said, the location it’s being sold, and selling conditions. Most will be between $75 and $100, she said, and the price, like demand, has steadily risen each year with inflation and rising costs.
“If you’re in the Toronto area, your prices are different than if you’re in the Ottawa or Windsor area,” she said.
Rosa Saba is a Toronto-based business reporter for the Star. Follow her on Twitter:
