The holiday season is alive and well, but the Christmas tree industry may be slowly dying.
Real Christmas trees are becoming a thing of the past for many — tradition turning to artificiality — especially this year, as inflation boosts prices, and families make decisions on how to cut costs.
Bill Oakes sells Christmas trees at the New Castle Farmers Market and says Christmas tree prices are up about 40% compared to six years ago.
“Right now the biggest influence on trees is not actually the farmers, but the worker shortage to get them loaded and to cut them," Oakes says. "I used to pay to load a tractor trailer of say, that tractor trailer over there, has 960 trees on that trailer. Six years ago, I paid one dollar for each tree to be loaded. Last year I paid two, this year I paid for four. So that went from $960 to around $3080 just for one load of trees and we do three loads of trees here.”
He says some people are opting for no tree at all.
“Younger people seem to not want the mess so they move towards an artificial or they don't do a tree at all really," Oakes says. "So if you look on my lot right now you'll see a lot of older people.”
An average 6 to 7 foot artificial tree runs about $50-$70 on the low end in most stores, but is a one time cost and comes without the mess and care of a real tree.
“People are willing to pay double for chicken because they have to eat it," Oakes says. "They have to eat, you know, and different items are necessities. Christmas trees we categorize as a luxury. So if it comes down to presents for kids or a Christmas tree, parents are always going to go that direction, which they should.”
Oakes says the average live tree sold on his lot is about $65-$85 for a mid-level type. On the low end, he has small trees for $30, and on the high end, sold a 15 foot Fraser Fir for $350.
