Christmas tree season begins as experts say demand continues to outpace supply

BARRIE, ONT. -

Christmas morning is just over a month away, and for many Ontario families, this weekend marked the official start to the holiday season.

On Sunday, Drysdale’s in Egbert opened its doors and was immediately filled with families looking to cut down a Christmas tree to complete their festive decorations.

“We have a very small house, so there’s always a debate how big we can go,” said Mary Beth Keefe, who drove with her family from Toronto.

The Keefe family began the tradition of having a real tree in their home for Christmas four years ago. This year, they purchased a tree earlier to expand the festive feel in their home after a challenging year.

“Any joy that we can bring into the house that makes everyone a bit more excited, we’ll do it,” said Keefe.

The pandemic has also impacted the Christmas tree industry itself.

Drysdale’s president told CTV News that the farm has faced staffing shortages similar to businesses across the province.

“We were tight trying to fill these positions to make sure everything runs smooth,” said Doug Drysdale, the president of the farm.

He went on to say that although the pandemic has brought many difficulties, he and his staff have been working tirelessly to ensure that the farm provided the same bells and whistles as years past.

“Christmas is ticking and getting closer every day, so we have to be ready regardless,” said Drysdale as a stream of vehicles filled the parking lot.

According to the Canadian Christmas Tree Growers Association, the demand for real trees outweighs the supply.

The association says an issue was brought on by dry weather during the Spring months and a recession more than a decade ago.

“Back in 2008 when we had a lot of growers just didn’t plant out that year they just couldn’t afford to plant,” said Fred Somerville, the present of the association.

According to Somerville, Christmas trees take around 13 years to grow, and by taking years off between crops, the supply of trees is inconsistent.

He believes that the supply and demand will balance out in the coming years as farms begin seeing their trees mature.