With Thanksgiving in the rearview mirror, families began hunting for Christmas trees – a hunt that proved difficult due to a national shortage of most goods, including evergreen conifers.
And that goes for many local vendors in Tallahassee and Leon Counties.
Native nurseries on Centerville Road, who get their Fraser firs from a small North Carolina farm, were selling between 6 and 9 feet of all their trees less than a week after Thanksgiving. There is only one 12-foot tree and 4-5-foot trees left, according to an Instagram post on Wednesday.
Tallahassee Nurseries and Esposito’s Garden Center are in a similar situation. Although not fully sold out yet, 6-9 foot trees are expected to run out soon.
“There are two people who hang trees all the time, they sell so quickly,” said Mary Kelly, Esposito’s chief marketing officer, of the store, which buys its trees direct from a North Carolina grower. “If you’re looking for a tree, don’t wait.”
Tallahassee Nurseries’ inventory of 10-foot trees sold out in just four days, and 8- and 9-foot trees sold out last week, Sal Rivelli, an operations employee at Tallahassee Nurseries, said Wednesday afternoon.
The Christmas tree farm in Havana is likely to sell its 400 Fraser firs by Sunday, owner Linda Sellars said.
The nationwide shortage appears to be due to two main factors: supply chain delays and the weather.
When analyzing the shortage of trees, the American Christmas Tree Association said weather events in the Pacific Northwest such as fire, drought, and heat waves caused Oregon farmers to lose up to 90% of their crops during the summer months.
In addition, the Christmas tree supply chain is not immune to the effects of the pandemic. The same ACTA statement said there will be “fewer artificial trees for consumer purchase”.
“This is not the year to find a tree at the last minute or wait for a retailer sale,” ACTA said in a statement. “It is possible that these sales will not take place or that inventory will be limited. Plan ahead and buy early. “
“I usually get trees about a week before Christmas, and I always end up getting Charlie Brown trees that my family makes fun of,” said Betsy Purdum when looking for her perfect tree.
She has company from London and Baltimore, Maryland, so she was grateful that she made it to the store on Thomasville Road early enough to fetch a seven-foot-tall tree, the tallest they had on Wednesday afternoon.
Large retailers like The Home Depot, Walmart, Target and Lowe’s still have a wide variety of living and man-made Christmas trees available for families in their respective Tallahassee locations.
In addition, the major retailers sell selected trees online that can be picked up at local stores or delivered straight to your home.
Where to buy a Christmas tree in Tallahassee:
- Esposito’s Garden Center, 2743 Capital Circle NE, (850) 386-2114
- Native Nurseries, 1661 Centerville Road, (850) 386-8882
- Tallahassee Nurseries, 2911 Thomasville Road, (850) 385-2162
- Havana Christmas Tree Farm, 2867 FL-GA Parkway, (850) 539-6524
- The Home Depot, 1490 Capital Circle NW, (850) 350-9001
- The Home Depot, 3200 Capital Circle NE, (850) 422-2777
- Lowe’s Home Improvement, 2121 Capitol Circle NE, (850) 386-5022
- Lowe’s Home Improvement, 5500 Commonwealth Blvd., (850) 575-1435
- Walmart, 4400 W. Tennessee St., (850) 574-3588
- Walmart, 4021 Lagniappe Way, (850) 656-2151
- Walmart, 3221 N. Monroe St., (850) 562-8383
- Destination, 2120 Apalachee Parkway, (850) 671-2041
- Destination, 3700 Bradfordville Road, (850) 894-3213
Are we missing retailers? Send us more at news@tallahassee.com.
Contact Christopher Cann at ccann@tallahassee.com and follow @ChrisCannFL on Twitter.
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The post How a nationwide shortage of Christmas trees is affecting Tallahassee first appeared on Daily Florida Press.from Daily Florida Press https://dailyfloridapress.com/how-a-nationwide-shortage-of-christmas-trees-is-affecting-tallahassee/
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