Christmas tree too expensive? Blame hazelnuts

A shortage of U.S.-grown Christmas trees is driving up the price of live holiday pine and firin B.C. as growers opt to grow hazelnuts, or higher-return crops.

Shoppers are paying $10 to $25 more per tree this year in many B.C. stores.

The exchange rate, rising freight and land costs do not help, but experts are putting most of the blame on hazelnut crops. The glut of trees that they used to have is gone," said ArtLoewenof the southwestB.C. Christmas Tree Council.

Trees selling for $10 to $15 per foot

The shortage created a need, so U.S. sellers took advantage of it.

"Most of the farms figured they'd sell out this year," said Loewen, whose family farm in Chilliwackbought 2,000 out-of-province grown trees because they can never grow enough for the local demand.

"Prices are high this year ... we may have to hike ours next year," said the founder of Pine Meadows Tree Farms in Chilliwack who kept cut-your-own prices low at $55 a tree.

Most tree sellers were charging $30 to $120 for living-room sized trees this year.

Wholesalers say the biggest reason Christmas tree prices have risen 20 to 40 per cent this yearis the shortage of stock.

Christmas trees were oversupplied during an economic downturn about 10years ago.

So, growers pulled uppines and opted for hazelnuts, which promised more profit, industry experts say.

That in turn has left California short trees, as the supply of Noble firfrom states like Oregon, Washingtonand North Carolina dwindled.

B.C. always short Christmas trees

And even though B.C. has 450 Christmas tree growers, retailers run short every year and import trees from the U.S. and Eastern Canada.

Land prices in B.C.are prompting many growers to pull up pines for a better returnby selling the land.

"Christmas trees are too cheap" to plant on expensive land, said Loewen who sells trees for about $50 a tree.

His farm has kept costs below the average $10 to $15 a foot per tree that most sellers charge.

But even he expects to be forced to hike prices next season.

The shortage hits hard at Prince of Wales Secondary Schoolwhere TrekTrees Christmas sales have funded its outdoor program for decades.

"No outrage yet, but people have noticed the price hike," said teacher and organizer Nick Townley, who said they buy two-thirds of their tree stock from the U.S., as there's never enough from B.C. suppliers.

All these economic eddies have made the traditional livepinea bit of a luxury.

Time to go artificial?

LisaBirstonof Terralink Horticulture assesses trees all over the province.

She said people think Christmas tree growing is easy.

"It's not as easy as people think to just put a tree in the ground and end up with a beautiful Christmas tree," said Birston.

Some growers fail, shorting the supply even further, she said.

So some peoplewill opt for a smaller tree this year, when they see the prices.

Others go with artificial because their building does not allow live trees, they hate the needle clean up, or they are allergic like Birston.

"I love the smell of a live tree. It's amazing in a house. But if I'm within 10feet of it for more than half an hour, it's like itchy nose, itchy mouth. I have to get away. It's like the trees revenge for getting cut down. Here is my last hurrah!"