This browser does not support the Video element.
Christmas trees could be in short supply
Elizabeth Fry reports
BRANDON, Fla. - Picking out the Christmas tree is often the holiday tradition that kicks off the season.
"They love the smell. The whole family comes in, they have a little get together, pick out the tree, it’s a tradition," explained David Morrow, the owner of Dave’s Tree Lot in Brandon.
But this year, it could be a little more difficult to find the big trees on the lot.
"As far as the amount we can get, that has been reduced quite a bit. There’s a lot of big tree shortages this year, so anything that is really tall is pretty much not available," said Pat Hawkins who’s worked at Dave’s Tree Lot for 15 years.
READ Enchant Christmas returns to Tropicana Field, transforming ballpark into winter wonderland
Dave’s Tree Lot in Brandon told Fox 13 that they placed an order for 600 trees back in July, but they only received about 300. It’s a problem that’s been hitting Christmas tree lots for the past several years.
"Back in ‘08 to 2010, the farmers didn’t plant seedlings because of the economy. So now we’re starting to harvest them, and there’s nothing to harvest," said Morrow. "Supply has gone down, demand has stayed the same. So therefore the price has increased, plus it’s hard to find them."
READ Does Christmas music stress you out? Here’s why
This year presents extra challenges with supply chain shortages nationwide. They said they could run out of trees even earlier than usual.
"They have help issues, that and the cost of employing that help as well as transportation costs are an issue as well," said Hawkins.
So if you still have yet to deck the halls, the time is now.
"We ran out early last year, so it will probably be the same this year. I think we were done around the 12th or the 15th last year," said Morrow. "It just depends if we can get more trees."
CONNECT WITH FOX 13:
Sign up for our daily newsletter