The impacts of the Christmas tree shortage

Have you gone out and about to get your Christmas tree this year? If you haven’t gotten your Christmas tree you need to! There is a shortage in the United States due to something that happened 10 years ago. People may ask why a shortage would affect us because of something that happened 10 years ago? Well, the shortage is due to multiple reasons: mismanagement of the land, labor and wage issues, and and lack of money. 

Usually, good six to seven foot trees take up to about 10 years to grow and your average modern day home ceiling is about eight feet so a good six-and-a-half footer would look amazing. Colin Hinton, a worker at the National Capital Optimist Clubs (NCOC) Christmas Tree Lot, said,  “It’s tough selling a family the ‘perfect’ tree so late in the season when all the trees they dream of for this years Christmas were bought or never even planted back in 2008.”

My neighbor, John Morin, went up to Buckeystown, Md. to Mayne’s Tree Farm on December 15th to discover no trees! John said, “My family and I were devastated. This is a tradition we do every year and for 15 years I’ve never seen a tree farm with no trees to cut down. The hour trip we took to up north to find zero trees planted was very bizarre.”

As I drive by the tree lot everyday on Sunday to go to church, I see fewer and fewer cars in the parking lot along with tiny, rinky-dink, naked trees on stakes.

However, don’t allow the 2008 tree shortage ruin Christmas 2018. Have Christmas spirit! You can still stop by the NCOC Tree Lot on Connecticut Avenue and Dresden Street in Kensington, Maryland on the corner to pick up a beautiful homemade wreath!