Lethbridge residents urged to grab Christmas trees now

LETHBRIDGE –

There are still more than two weeks until Christmas, but anyone hoping to get a real Christmas tree for the holidays should hurry.

“The trees have been up for about 10 days and are almost sold out,” said Dustin Napper, a gardener at Green Haven Garden Center. “People started coming about a week earlier this year and last weekend we actually set daily records for Christmas tree sales.”

The supply chain issues affecting last year's trees have been resolved, but other challenges remain.

“The biggest issue in the supply chain is freight costs, which have increased significantly this year, and also the cost of trees,” Napper said. “The cost of Christmas trees has increased by about $10 to $15 compared to last year.”

Green Haven received 600 trees this year, which is normal compared to previous years, but as of Friday, fewer than a dozen were still in stock.

Napper says tree numbers have returned to normal, but diversity is limited this year.

“We couldn't get many of the larger trees that we normally get,” Napper said. “This year there was a demand for those 10- to 12-foot Christmas trees and we had very few, so they sold out early. And then the selection, normally we have Fraser firs and balsam firs and this year the only ones we had available were the balsam firs.”

Green Haven received 600 trees this year, which is normal compared to previous years, but as of Friday, fewer than a dozen were still in stock.

Other Christmas greenery is also easier to get this year than last season.

“The population was actually average. It was normal, which was really nice,” said Chelsa Larson, owner of BLOOMdiggity.

Larson says supply chain issues have been resolved and most of their wintergreens arrived on time.

“We actually had problems last year with all the flooding in BC and things like that,” Larson said. “Last year we were able to find a local provider and that's still an option this year.”

However, Larson says the longer you wait, the more limited your options become.

“We accommodate last-minute orders as much as we can. Usually in the last few days before Christmas we really have to push people to figure out what's left,” Larson said.

According to the Government of Alberta, Christmas trees may also be harvested and cut down on Crown land in the forest areas of the province of Alberta with a free permit.

A map of authorized harvesting locations and information on how to obtain a permit can be found online at alberta.ca/tree-cutting-permits.aspx.