3B
THE DAILY ASTORIAN • FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 23, 2018
It may be harder to find your perfect tree
By LISA RATHKE
Associated Press
MONTPELIER, Vt. — People
may need to trim back their Christ-
mas tree expectations this year.
A tight supply means some shop-
pers will be paying more and search-
ing longer for that perfect Christmas
tree this holiday season. But there’s
no need for panic buying on Black
Friday as industry experts say con-
sumers will end up with something to
decorate this holiday season.
The yuletide market imbalance
was created a decade ago when a
glut of Christmas trees and the Great
Recession combined to drive many
growers out of business. Now the
supply is tight and it takes eight to 10
years — the time needed to grow a
Christmas tree — to boost the supply.
“It’s bad. It’s the worst I’ve seen
in a long time,” said Matthew LaC-
asce, co-owner of the Finestkind
Christmas tree farm in Dover-Fox-
croft, Maine. The farm sells about
10,000 trees each season and is turn-
ing down orders every day from des-
perate retailers, LaCasce said.
Larger retailers are doing just fine,
officials say. It’s the smaller charita-
ble organizations, school groups, and
mom-and-pop operators that have
had to scramble for trees.
In Hawaii, Christmas tree seller
Richard Tajiri said he ended up 1,000
trees short this season.
“It’s going to be tough for every-
body. There’s nothing you can do
about it,” said Tajiri, who is fielding
several dozen calls a day in Hono-
lulu. “It’s first come, first served.”
Lovell’s Florist and Nursery in
Medford, Massachusetts, resorted to
a hodgepodge of suppliers from Can-
ada, North Carolina and the West
Coast because the regular whole-
saler couldn’t deliver, owner LaVerne
Lovell said. They were expecting
1,000 trees to be delivered Friday.
“It was about two days of com-
plete panic,” she recalled. “The
Christmas season carries us through
the winter. If we don’t have any trees,
it would’ve been a real nightmare.”
The American Legion in Dover,
Massachusetts, also had to search
high and low for 450 trees for its
annual fundraiser.
“It’s getting tough,” said Tom
McGill, who oversees the effort.
Supply and demand problems are
nothing new. Like other crops, Christ-
mas trees are a commodity that goes
through cycles from too few trees to
AP Photo/Charles Krupa
Joseph Kang carries a Christmas tree as he restocks the inventory at Noel’s tree farm in Litchfield, N.H., in 2011. A tight supply of Christmas
trees this season could force consumers to not get the exact tree type they want, but there are enough evergreens to go around.
‘Supply and demand seem to
always be in some flux.’
Chal Landgren
Christmas tree specialist and professor at Oregon State University
AP Photo/Toby Talbot
Christmas trees stand in a field at the Pleasant Valley Tree Farm in
Bennington, Vt. A tight supply of Christmas trees this season could
force consumers to not get the exact tree type they want, but there are
enough evergreens to go around.
an oversupply.
But regional factors are also exac-
erbating the problem.
For example, a spring frost dam-
aged trees at some farms in Canada’s
Nova Scotia, choking off some sup-
ply in the Northeast. Some Canadian
farms in New Brunswick are buried
under snow from recent storms, mak-
ing it difficult for them to get trees
onto trucks for shipment.
A shortage of Fraser trees, the
most popular on the East Coast, had
some North Carolina buyers scram-
bling to find balsam firs in New
England.
In Oregon, some people are taking
Fraser fir trees from the East instead
of noble firs that are the most popular
tree on the West Coast.
“Supply and demand seem to
always be in some flux,” Chal Land-
gren, a Christmas tree specialist and
professor at Oregon State University,
said via email.
All told, U.S. consumers are
expected to buy about 27 million
trees, roughly the same as the last
two years, according to the National
Christmas Tree Association.
Most people will find what they
want, but prices could be a bit higher
than last year’s average retail price of
about $75, said Tim O’Connor, the
association’s director.
With the lean supply, shoppers
might want to start early if they want
a lot of choice and variety.
Spencer Putman, of Weybridge,
Vermont, didn’t worry himself about
a purchase. He simply paid $5 for a
permit to chop down his own tree in
the 400,000-acre Green Mountain
National Forest. “I don’t think we are
going to run out of them very soon,”
he said.
VOLUNTEERS
Continued from Page 2B
ria.or.us or 503-325-4411.
Clatsop County Animal Shelter
— Animal care volunteers age 16
and older needed for one 3-hour shift
per week. Pick up an application at
1315 S.E. 19th St., Warrenton. For in-
formation, or to schedule orientation,
call Leslie Atkinson at 503-325-1000.
Friends of Seaside Library
— 1131 Broadway, Seaside. Volun-
teers needed to staff the fundraising
store. For information, call 503-738-
6742 or stop by the library.
Columbia Senior Diners —
1111 Exchange St., Astoria Senior
Center. Volunteers needed week-
days to serve tables and for kitchen
help. Call 503-325-9693.
Community Emergency Re-
sponse Team — CERT volunteers
needed for community events and
disaster response with local police,
fire and emergency medical service
agencies. Training includes fire
safety, first aid, traffic and crowd
control, communications, damage
survey, disaster planning and civic
events within city limits. For infor-
mation, contact CERT coordinator
Kenny Hansen at khansen@asto-
call 503-717-7171 or email Alana.
Kujala@providence.org
Lunch Buddy Mentoring Pro-
gram — Adults needed to mentor
elementary and middle school stu-
dents once a week during lunch.
For information, call (219) 331-6427
or go to bit.ly/2u3KpWe
NorthWest Senior & Disability
Services — Needs dishwashers
and volunteers to serve and clean
up weekdays at a meal site, and
drivers for Meals on Wheels. Con-
tact Candy Foster at 503-738-9323.
Providence Seaside Hospi-
tal — Needs volunteers who enjoy
helping people. Opportunities are
available in the hospital gift shop,
café, and as greeters and for spir-
itual integration. For information,
River Song Foundation —
Looking for people to assist with
Trap/Neuter/Release/Feed (TNRF),
especially in the Seaside and Knap-
pa/Svensen areas. TNRF involves
setting and/or monitoring traps,
and daily feeding of cats and main-
tenance of any shelters, and is a
proven, science-based method that
along with spay/neuter programs is
the only effective and humane way
of ending cat homelessness and
suffering. Call 503-861-2003 for in-
formation and to volunteer.
Seaside American Legion
Veterans’ Assistance & Rehabili-
tation — Volunteers needed to help
knit/crochet items for hospitalized
vets and cut coupons for military
families. Donations of fabric/yarn
especially welcome. Group meets
from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. second Tues-
day of the month at 1315 Broadway,
Seaside. Call 503-738-5111.
T
he Cannery Pier Hotel & Spa is a
luxury boutique hotel built on the former
site of a historic cannery 600 feet out into
the Mighty Columbia River in Astoria,
Oregon. The Hotel offers guests an
unparalleled experience in a real working
river... with diverse and exciting ship
traffic to and from the Pacific Ocean.
• Private Riverview balconies in all
rooms
• Fireplace, Complimentary Wi-fi
throughout hotel
• Clawfoot Tub with views,Terry
Robes
• Complimentary Continental
Breakfast
• Wine and appetizers each afternoon
• Full service Day Spa on site
• Fitness Room, Hot Tub,Finnish
Sauna
W I T H G R AT I T U D E AT
Thanksgiving
Giving Thanks
ks
k
s
to all who support
Columbia Memorial Hospital—
patients, community members, caregivers,
medical community, donors, and local businesses.
May the good things of life be yours in abundance not
only at Thanksgiving but throughout the coming year.
Telephone 503.325.4996
Toll Free 888.325.4996
Facsimile 503.325.8350
www.cannerypierhotel.com
No. 10 Basin Street • Astoria, Oregon 97103
“Locals Only Special”
December 2018
January 2019
Limited Space Available
Excludes New Year’s Eve Weekend
109
$
Please call hotel direct 503-325-4996
*
Per Night
One Coupon per Stay Required
Must Present Original Coupon at Check-In
Deluxe King or Deluxe Double Queen
Rates subject to change without notice. *Plus Applicable Tax
2111 Exchange Street, Astoria, Oregon 97103
503-325-4321 | columbiamemorial.org