The American Christmas Tree Association is recommending families shop for their Christmas tree early this year to avoid shortages, due to fewer trees from the Pacific Northwest, a region hampered by fires and drought this year. Even people who prefer an artificial tree may have to deal with supply chain struggles.
In Pleasant Valley, a family Christmas tree farm is feeling the shortage first-hand. Thomas Case owns Bilmar Nurseries, a 200-acre family-operated farm that has been growing and selling Christmas trees since 1959. Case says his family experienced their biggest year yet in 2020.
"This field was full of trees," says Case, pointing to one of his Christmas tree fields. "I bet you 500 trees were taken out of this field."
Case normally sells 700 Christmas trees a year. Last year, that number doubled.
"2020 was probably our busiest year in the Christmas tree industry. Everybody was staying home," said Case.
He says because so many people were celebrating Christmas with their individual families instead of traveling to spend the holidays with their extended families, more Christmas trees were sold.
Case wholesaled 700 trees to New York City alone last year. Three of his trees were put on display in Bryant Park. The only problem is, big sales last year leaves him with fewer trees for this holiday season.
Because he has less trees this year, Case won't be selling wholesale trees, but he says he has enough for his retail customers.
"Here it's different," said Case. "They're growing in the ground, you can come and cut a tree right up until the day before Christmas."
Case recommends that if you do plan on heading to a Christmas tree farm, plan to come early and dress appropriately for the weather so you can spend the whole day picking out that perfect Christmas tree. And despite last year’s booming tree market, Case doesn’t think demand for trees will be as high this year.
"I do not think it's gonna be at that level," said Case. "I think travel's gonna go up, I think people are gonna get away from the cold in the northeast."
Regardless, he's looking forward to a cheerful season and he wants customers to remember one thing: "You're never gonna find the perfect Christmas tree at Bilmar or any other farm, and not on a corner lot in New York City. The perfect Christmas tree is the one you wake up to with your family on Christmas morning."