Seasons fleetings: Quebec faces Christmas tree shortage as demand soars

Decking your halls may prove to be more difficult this holiday season as Christmas tree farmers in Quebec andacross the country grapple with a shortage of supply due to high demand and adverse weather conditions.

Some tree farms in the province opened over the weekend, including Plantation des Frontires in St-Armand, near the U.S. border, where co-owner Luce Fontaine worriesshe'll blow through her supplyin the next couple of weeks.

''Usually it's not the biggest weekend, the next two weekends will be bigger," she said.

Demand this year is higher than the rate her family business can grow their trees, Fontaine said, noting it takes between eight to 12 years to grow a single, six-foot-tallChristmas tree,which her husband began doing on their farmin 1980.

The shortage is, in part, dueto a growing demandfor trees in recent years, said Larry Downey, co-owner ofDowney Tree Farm and Nursery in Hatley, near Sherbrooke, Que.

"Before the [COVID-19] pandemic, there was a rise in demand for natural Christmas trees across North America and the UnitedStates," he said, adding that the past two yearsexacerbated the problemwith people staycationing in their homes and yearning for some extra holiday cheer.

"In the past there was always an abundance of trees; now there's a small shortage," said the formerpresident of the Canadian Christmas Tree Growers Association.

According to the association, the industry has expandedfrom a $53-million industry in 2015toa $100-million industry in 2020.

An early frost this past spring also ruined a portion of Fontaine's crop,along with several others at Quebec farms, which limited the amount of natural, live trees available this season.

Buy early this year, says tree farmer

Downey urges consumers tobuy their Christmastrees earlyas supply is selling faster and earlier this year.

"The ones that prefer to buy last minute, they might not find the exact tree they were looking for," he said.

Montreal residentCoral Drury heeded that advice, driving out to St-Armand to pluck a prized pine for his family this weekend.

Drury has been purchasing his annual Christmas tree at Plantation des Frontiressince his oldest daughter was a baby, butthis year was the first year that he neededa reservation.

"A lot of places, they only take reservations this year and they're already sold out," he said.

Reserving a spot is the only way to guarantee a Christmas tree this year, according to Fontaine.

"We take the reservation this year because we have some trees, but we don't want to have too many people at the same time," she said.

While Fontainesays maintaining her farm is "a long process and a big investment," she says loyal customers likeDrurymake up a big part of her business and also makeit worthwhile.

"Its a lot of work, sometimes it doesn't look [like]it,but it's a labour of love."