KGMI News
VAN ZANDT, Wash. – There’s a nationwide shortage of Christmas trees.
Alpine Meadows owner Ken Stremler said the recession hit growers hard from 2008 through 2010. Getting loans was difficult for Christmas tree farms, and many went out of business.
“Nurseries were throwing seedlings away because we couldn’t find anybody to plant them, we were selling trees at a loss,” Stremler said. “It was a bad time to be in the industry.”
The trees require approximately 8 years to reach maturity, so the downturn’s effects will likely be felt this year.
“Prices have gone up, but just a few dollars,” Stremler said of wholesale tree sales. KING 5 reported tree prices are going up a bit this year amid the shortage.
Alpine Meadows in Van Zandt supplies every Haggen in the county, and ships trees up and down the west coast of the U.S.