PHILADELPHIA (CBS) — Supply chain issues are already putting the crunch on holiday gifts, and now it could also mean a Christmas tree shortage. Last Christmas, during the height of the pandemic, the demand for real trees was higher than normal.
Many tree farmers say they oversold in 2020, which led to cutting into this year’s supply.
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It takes between seven and 15 years for the trees to grow tall enough to sell. This year, there’s also an artificial tree shortage due to supply chain issues.
“We’re trying to bring more products into the country than our ports are designed to handle,” Mac Harman, the CEO of Balsam Hill, a company that makes artificial Christmas trees and other decorations, said. “And so, everything is getting delayed.
Harman says he’s now paying about 300 percent more to bring his artificial trees to the United States from Asia, where they’re produced.
Due to this increase, consumers will see price increases of about 20 percent.
There are around 15,000 Christmas tree farms in the U.S.
Americans purchase approximately 25 to 30 million real Christmas trees every year.
