Can you guess the average retail price of a fresh Christmas tree in 2017?
The National Christmas Tree Association said the price has almost doubled since 2008, to $75.
It turns out, the market for trees has been dramatically affected by the Great Recession.
“I talked to some west coast growers and during the 2008 economic shutdown…at that time there was actually a glut of trees,” Jim Chapman, a Wisconsin Christmas tree grower told AgDay. “When you have a glut of trees you’re not planting more. A lot of them quit planting. Well, now it’s showing up.”
This year’s shortages and high demand had shippers extending beyond their usual reach, with some Midwestern trees going west of the Rocky Mountains.