Holiday tree shopping is still in vogue, even while inflation is causing people’s wallets to tighten, Christmas tree farmers report this season.
“Every year surprises me, but I guess everyone’s gotta have a Christmas tree,” Debbie Emerson from Emerson Family Tree Farm in Greenfield said about the tree buying season this year.
While the farms try to keep their Christmas tree prices relatively stable from year to year, many farmers reported an increase in cost this year due to their increased cost of doing business. For example, Emerson noted that the price of fertilizer tripled over the past year.
Ethan Stone of West Brook Christmas Tree Farm in Athol reported that their normal operating costs “skyrocketed,” making their prices rise to about $42 a tree.
Inflation is not the only problem in this year’s market. The drought this summer also caused serious issues for Christmas tree farmers as it has at times in the past.
“The trees are not as plump as they should be,” Emerson reported.
Farmers had to work extra hard this summer keeping their trees irrigated through the drought.
“During the very bad drought of 2016 we lost tons of trees and had mammoth expenses trying to fight the overtaking desert off with water, and this past summer at times felt like a smaller version of the same for us,” Stone explained.
For Larry Flaccus at Kenburn Orchards in Shelburne the drought did not affect his trees as he phased out Christmas trees from his farm. This season was the last time he will sell Christmas trees.
“After 25 years of selling trees, I ran out of energy,” Flaccus said.
Since Christmas trees grow for eight to 10 years before they are ready to be sold, over the past couple years Flaccus’ farm has slowly stopped planting new trees, and sold off the last ones that were still growing.
He explained, along with the other farmers, that growing Christmas trees is a full-time job that requires work year-round. While the window for selling trees is about two months, at best, there is much work and preparation to be done for the trees throughout the offseason that can be labor-intensive.
Flaccus will continue selling blueberries, he said.
West Brook Christmas Tree Farm is selling 12 different types of trees this year, including the Arizona Corkbark fir, “Blue faze” white spruce and white fir (concolor fir).
If tree types aren’t the big draw for you, Emerson Family Tree Farm has a large Christmas shop at the farm filled with local crafts and Christmas tree starter kits, complete with the base for first-time Christmas tree owners.
The weekend after Thanksgiving is the most popular time to purchase a tree, but many people buy them earlier. Many tree farmers encourage people to buy them soon as many trees will sell out in the weeks before Christmas.
Once you have a tree, Emerson said “remember to water them.” She said Christmas tree owners should add watering their tree to their normal routine, along with drinking coffee and brushing teeth. She warned that if a tree dries up, they will close within 24 hours and not be able to take up any more water.
“You can’t beat a real tree,” Flaccus said.
Bella Levavi can be reached at blevavi@recorder.com or 413-930-4579.