Christmas tree shortage spurs high demand

Given rising prices and tall demand, a Calgary Christmas tree provider says the market simply isn’t growing.

Bruce Wilkins of Mountain View Christmas Trees says tree wholesalers continue to face a grower shortage.

“The industry kind of did a 180 and now there just doesn’t seem to be the supply that there ever was before,” said Wilkins.

Amid concerns of a Christmas tree shortage in Alberta, a Calgary tree provider calls it the new normal.

They say that while demand is high, the market simply isn’t growing.

“I think part of that, too, is a lot of growers are retiring. It’s an older man’s line of work that a lot of people my age just don’t have a real interest in. Some of the plantations get bought out in their entirety too, trees don’t get replanted and regrown,” said Bruce Wilkins of Mountain View Christmas Trees at Crossroads Market.

Wilkins says Mountain View Christmas Trees has still managed to maintain a consistent inventory.

He chalks it up to longstanding relationships with tree growers and suppliers, but even with that, the company is still missing out on opportunities that they were previously able to meet.

“Even within the province, people that are just looking for Like Canadian Tire, they’re looking for 20 trees or Home Hardware. We don’t even have that. Whereas in the past, that’d be no problem. Now even with our buying power, we’re getting the minimum we got in the past,” said Wilkins.

Talking prices, Wilkins says that an average tree will cost around $100 to $110.

Four years ago?

The same tree would cost around $65 to $75.

He calls it a simple matter of inflation.

“This year it was freight, especially that killed us. [For] our summertime work, we do garbage removal, bins, and things like that. And our fuel costs have been hitting us very hard,” said Wilkens

Despite that reality, along with market uncertainties, he’s still confident in the city’s appetite for trees.

“Thankfully with the relationships we have with our growers, our suppliers, I think we’ll be doing it as long as anyone is. Until as a whole, people say they don’t want live trees anymore I’m hoping we’ll still be kicking around,” said Wilkins.

Bruce Wilkins of Mountain View Christmas Trees says Alberta’s tree wholesalers continue to face a grower shortage. Tate Laycraft has the details. (Photos Tate Laycraft, CityNews Calgary)