While the rest of the country is scrambling to buy the perfect Christmas tree before they’re all gone, local sellers said they’re not experiencing any signs of a shortage.
Doug Hundley, spokesman for the National Christmas Tree Association, said the reason for the tight market stems from a decline in sales during the Great Recession a decade ago.
“During the following year[s], Christmas tree growers did not have the room – available from normal harvesting – nor the revenue to plant as many trees as they would have, if sales had been better,” Hundley said in a statement to the Times Free Press on Monday. “The result, 10 years later, is today’s smaller supply. Unfortunately, it is happening at a time when the economy is good and demand is high.”
As early as July, forestry organizations warned of an impending Christmas tree shortage. In a report, sustainable forestry company GWD Forestry said the shortage could last into 2025 and pointed to last year’s forest fires as one of the causes.
But in Chattanooga, at least, business seems to be running as usual.