Demand for Christmas trees noticeably increased during the 2020 marketing season, similar to other seasonal products such as fireworks and pumpkins.
âPeople are spending more time at home,â Bob Schaefer, general manager of Noble Mountain Tree Farm in Salem, Ore., said.
Despite reports of a tree shortage, Schaefer said the industry has actually brought supplies back into balance with demand after a prolonged surplus that depressed prices in the early 2010s.
The perception of scarcity may have been created by some U-Cut farms running out of trees early, but thatâs not reflective of an industry-wide problem, he said. âIt doesnât mean there arenât people down the road with trees available.â
December 17, 2020
Cones grow on a Turkish fir tree, possible progenitor of an improved Christmas tree variety. WSU scientists are part of a national effort to select improved varieties for growers dealing with a persistent disease that damages popular firs.
By Seth Truscott
College of Agricultural, Human, and Natural Resource Sciences
Christmas tree lovers and tree growers across the U.S. could one day admire new varieties that look great, hold up for weeks in the home, and stand up to a deadly disease that kills popular firs, thanks to globe-trotting research by Washington State University scientist Gary Chastagner.
Known as “Dr. Christmas Tree” to growers for his 40 years of research at WSU, the plant pathologist’s work on holiday trees has encompassed disease management, needle retention, variety improvement, and care of cut trees in the home, along with research into other valuable ornamental crops, including bulbs and cut flowers.