Syracuse N.Y. (NCC NEWS) – The rumors of a Christmas tree shortage have been spreading this year, leaving many families wondering if they will have the same Christmas spirit in their home.
Family-owned company, Luchsinger’s Christmas Trees, feels the same pressures as its community.
“I buy all my trees wholesale so I can kind of feel the pinch on a Christmas tree shortage,” said Erin Luchsinger-Hull. “Where people who do you-cut might not feel the same way.”
Luchsinger-Hull believes that there are multiple reasons for the shortage of trees.
“I’ve seen a shortage because we’ve overcut in the past. Growers are getting older,” Hull said. “They’re not planting as many trees as they normally would and not a lot of young growers are coming up and planting more trees.”
Although there might be a shortage in central New York, Luchsinger-Hull’s business has remained steady.
“Luckily I have a really loyal client base,” Luchsinger-Hull said. “So we’re right on track for where we want to be.”
Christmas trees at Luchsinger’s Christmas Trees and across the state are more expensive this year because of the shortage.
“I’ve had to raise my prices by about five dollars per tree,” Luchsinger-Hull said. “[Because] the people I buy them from are really feeling it[the shortage].”
The shortage won’t last too long Hull believes.
“It’s going to turn around but a Christmas tree is an eight-year in the ground investment,” Luchsinger-Hull said. “So it might take a couple years to get back to where we need to be.”
There shouldn’t be any issues this year with buying a Christmas tree but the market in central New York is growing smaller each year until the younger trees reach their eight-year date to become the fully-grown home for children’s presents.