Why freshly cut Christmas trees are in high demand and tough to find

With fresh Christmas trees remaining the top choice for festive accoutrement, local farms are as ready as they can be for the big rush of customers.

However, many growers in the Okanagan are struggling to catch up after the heat dome of 2021 killed off many young saplings. Among them is Richard Lamberton of Grumpy’s Tree Farm in East Kelowna.

“I lost probably about two years of growth,” Lamberton told Kelowna10. “It's going to take me five years or so to get back to work normal.”

New seedlings take around eight to ten years to fully mature which has led to some growers dropping out of the business entirely.

Lamberton however, simply bolstered his stock with pre-cut trees that he had brought in from Merritt. He charges less for them because of their shorter lifespan.

“I don’t believe in gouging people,” he said, noting it costs $65 for a pre-cut and $85 for field trees at Grumpy’s. He expected to sell out the 100 fresh trees during his one-day sale Saturday.

“They fill all the parking spots which is probably 25, and then there’s more that wait on the roadway to come in. I have six or seven people helping me out on that one day,” he said. “So just one day and they’re all gone.”

Lamberton said caring for his fresh cut trees once in the home is easy, as they do not require any watering and will stay good until February.