Christmas tree lots are reporting supply shortages and higher prices this holiday season.

People looking for live Christmas trees should start shopping sooner, according to a press release from Evergrow, a Fraser Valley company that delivers potted trees and then replants them after the holidays.

含羞草研究社淲e含羞草研究社檙e talking to farmers who are telling us over a third of their trees for the season are damaged so badly they can含羞草研究社檛 sell them,含羞草研究社� said Evergrow CEO Paige Wheaton. 含羞草研究社淢any farms are planning to open for only one or two weekends in November because they know they will be sold out by then.含羞草研究社�

Joan Fleming said that while her Vancouver Island farm, Saanichton Christmas Tree Farm, has plenty of supply, many tree lots that import trees rather than grow them are struggling to meet demand.

含羞草研究社淎 lot of wholesale lots, they含羞草研究社檙e having a hard time getting trees because there is a shortage because of that heat dome and those trees got scorched, whereas luckily, mine didn含羞草研究社檛,含羞草研究社� Fleming said.

Happy Holidays Christmas Tree Co., a pop-up holiday shop in Langford that sells trees and other gifts, said the two B.C. tree farms they have worked with have had some setbacks as well.

While extreme heat is partly to blame, Debbie Stroshein the owner of Happy Holidays Christmas Tree Co., said there are many reasons for low inventory and high prices, including fewer local farmers.

含羞草研究社淢ore and more of the tree farmers are retiring with no longevity plan,含羞草研究社� Stroshein said. 含羞草研究社淭wo large producers I含羞草研究社檝e worked with in the last five years have closed or drastically reduced inventory. I am seeing more and more trees grown in the U.S.A. showing up on racks here.含羞草研究社�

Stroshein said that the cost of getting trees to Victoria has also doubled in the past two years, which is contributing to the spike in prices for consumers.

For previous seasons, Stronshein said she was able to source locally, but with shifting dynamics in the industry such as older farmers retiring and U.S. markets buying Canadian, she含羞草研究社檚 had to import some of her trees from other places.

According to the press release, farm owners and experts are citing 2021 as one of the worst growing years since the 含羞草研究社�80s, but Kelly Chashai from Metchosin含羞草研究社檚 Down to Earth Nursery said today含羞草研究社檚 tree supply is still being impacted by wildfires from years ago.

含羞草研究社淓ven though the fires weren含羞草研究社檛 so bad this year, that did have a big effect as trees take about seven to 10 years to grow before they are cut,含羞草研究社� Chashai said. 含羞草研究社淪o the events of five years ago and three years ago are really impacting today.含羞草研究社�

Most of the trees that Down to Earth Nursery is selling this season come from the Fraser Valley and across B.C., and they are not having issues keeping up with demand. However, for smaller and less established Christmas tree lots, keeping prices low during inflation and maintaining supply is a struggle that Stroshein anticipates being around for a while.

含羞草研究社淚t含羞草研究社檚 changing,含羞草研究社� she said. 含羞草研究社淚含羞草研究社檓 not sure what that future looks like for a lot of small businesses. Some really small ones I know of have disappeared altogether.含羞草研究社�

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