Consider yourself fortunate if you've snagged a majestic Christmas tree for the holiday. Demand outpaces supply by as much as 30% this year. Why?
The short answer is that far fewer legacy Christmas tree farmers have opted to grow different crops. The longer (and surprising) answer links the shortage to hazelnuts and China's newfound obsession with Nutella. In turn, the limited supply of evergreens triggered an early dash to secure a tree.
Morning Edition host George Prentice visited with North End Organic Nursery co-owner Lindsay Schramm who said her search for a family-owned Christmas tree farm in the Pacific Northwest grows more challenging each year. That said, Schramm says, "Nobody comes to buy a Christmas tree in a grumpy mood."
"A lot of farmers who were growing trees seven years ago, replaced them with more consistent crops like hazelnuts."
Find reporter George Prentice on Twitter @georgepren
Copyright 2019 Boise State Public Radio
