The Holiday Hike: The Rising Cost of Christmas Trees@
The holiday season is upon us, and that means millions of people are winding their way to plant nurseries, Christmas tree farms or Home Depot.
It’s possible you might get surprised at the prices when you start checking through the Douglas, Noble, and Frasier Firs available.
Millennials and the 2008 recession led to a price increase this year for Christmas trees – both real and artificial Christmas trees.
The news outlet reports that real trees are about ten dollars more expensive this year, while artificial Christmas trees are up to 20 dollars more. This is likely to be the “most expensive Christmas season ever,” says a data analyst.
Supply and Demand: The Economics of Christmas Trees
In part, Christmas trees are so expensive this year due to a boom in sales from millennials, who are starting families, getting kids, and settling down. There are more real and fake trees being purchased by millennials, according to CNN.
In 2018, 4 million more real trees were sold than artificial ones, a huge increase of 10 percent over the previous five years. Square reported that of the millennial segment that chooses fake trees for environmental reasons, they also choose real trees.
Prices of real trees are rising because suppliers can’t meet demand. This is mostly due to the fact that trees can take as long as ten years to actually grow.
There are fewer Christmas trees available this year than growers would like. A trade group representing about 5,100 growers, the National Christmas Tree Association, told USA Today that there are fewer trees to cut than in past years.
There were a few states that were particularly hit – including North Carolina and Oregon- because they ship trees throughout the country.