Christmas trees are about to get a little pricier in this province, and it may stay that way for the next few years.
It's because of a shortage in the United States that traces its roots back to the recession nearly a decade ago. With home foreclosures on the rise in the U.S. in the late 2000's, demand for Christmas trees fell sharply, meaning that many trees were never cut down that year. That, in turn, meant there was less space to plant new trees at the time.
Since Christmas trees take between six and ten years to go, the reduced supply is only just now starting to be felt in the market, and the tight American supply of Christmas trees is likely to continue for a few years as a result.
However, what's bad news for everyday Christmas tree buyers will likely be good news for Quebec's tree growers. That's because most of the Christmas trees grown here end up being exported to the U.S. and beyond. In 2016, this province exported 1.2 million trees, roughly 70% of its total crop that year.