Growers Pine Over Christmas Tree Glut
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PORTLAND, Me. — A glut of Christmas trees, more competition and the popularity of artificial trees have industry insiders worried that this may be a tough holiday season for growers and sellers.
“There aren’t enough people for all the trees,” said Albert Gondeck, executive director of the Maine Christmas Tree Growers Assn., which represents 250 growers.
The root of the glut dates back to the early 1980s, when many growers began planting more trees. Growers are expected to harvest about 850,000 trees in northern New England this season.
The surplus is nationwide, particularly in the Northwest and Midwest, said Marshall Patmos, a Christmas tree specialist with the University of New Hampshire cooperative extension service.
The popularity of artificial Christmas trees adds to the growers’ woes. Nationwide, 46% of homes that display a tree use an artificial one, Patmos said.
Because of the glut, some live trees are starting to appear in the Boston and northern New England markets at ultra-cheap prices--$5 apiece, Patmos said.
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