November 29, 2019 3:25 a.m.
Christmas tree shopping season is beginning to look a lot like 2018 with a tight supply and similar prices, according to the Oregon State University Extension’s Christmas tree specialist.
Chal Landgren, a professor at OSU’s College of Forestry at the North Willamette Research and Extension Center in Aurora said the supply can be attributed to two main factors. He said there are about 400 fewer Oregon growers than in the mid-2000s and some land that was grown for trees is now being used for crops that are less labor intensive.
The release said U.S. consumers reported that they paid an average price of $78 for a tree last year. That’s up $3 from the previous year, according to the National Christmas Tree Association.
Oregon leads the nation in Christmas tree production, with 383 Oregon licensed Christmas tree growers selling about 4.6 million trees last year. The vast majority of Oregon trees are sold in the Pacific Northwest, California, Nevada and Arizona. Mexico is the top international importer of Oregon Christmas trees.
The release said in the mid-2000s there were more than 750 Oregon licensed Christmas tree growers producing 8 million trees. An oversupply caused wholesale prices to crash. When the Great Recession hit in 2009, many growers were forced out of the business.
Langren said “We’re coming off a period where too many trees were planted and a lot of growers have gone out of business because of the boom-and-bust cycle. He said right now it is a period where there are fewer trees available for the typical demand.
Landgren is the author of the OSU Extension publication, “Developing Quality Christmas Trees in the Pacific Northwest”.