A Christmas tree shortage could have many Southern California shoppers feeling the holiday blues. Many local sellers have increased prices on some varieties by 3  to 10 percent as not-so-jolly costs for certain varieties, especially the  popular Noble fir, have become scarce. Most Southern California sellers get trees from Oregon, Washington and North Carolina. Industry experts say low returns on Christmas trees nearly a decade ago because of oversupply prompted many growers to stop planting trees in favor of other crops, like hazelnuts. And that’s led to a shortage this year.Norm Osborne, owner of Pinery Christmas Trees, said that after 25 years in business he’s used to cyclical shortages and this time isn’t any worse than previous lulls. Osborne said the shortage is mainly in Noble fir trees taller than 7 feet, but costs may extend to other varieties. Pinery was selling Douglas fir trees starting at $75 and Grand firs starting at $85 last year, but increased the starting price this year by $5 and $10, respectively.“

The growing period for a Noble fir is like eight to 10 years. That’s a long time to wait for a return on your investment,” he said. Noble and Nordman firs vary substantially based on size but range from $45 to more than $150 at Pinery. decorating ideas for christmas front doorOsborne said he’s raised prices on those trees by 3 to 5 percent, also adding more Fraser fir trees to make up for the Nobles.Osborne said growing Christmas trees in Southern California would not make sense because there’s not enough rain and the cost of land is too high. cheap diy christmas gifts for boyfriendPinery has five locations, including Mission Valley, Rancho Bernardo, Bonita, Del Mar and Murrieta. christmas party decorations for sale

Osborne said the company has roughly 9,000 trees, with more than 2,000 in Mission Valley — not far from a Costco. Big box retailers are still cheaper than independent sellers, keeping costs down by buying more in bulk and other arrangements. Douglas firs, between 7 to 8 feet, are selling at many other locations throughout San Diego County, for $30, up from $26 last year. paring prices to local sellers can get tricky. A Noble fir around 7 to 8 feet at Pinery is split into two categories; The highest quality is $110 and a basic version is $45.Scott Stearns, Costco assistant vice president based in San Diego, said it mostly gets trees from Oregon and has lost many of the growers it used to buy from but still works to keep costs down. “Part of the way we have been able to keep costs down is by not having a big lot taking up parking spaces and opening the mall up,” he explained. Customers also select the trees themselves. Stearns said Costco pre-selects the trees so the quality is what customers expect.“

They get them home, open them up and they are typically very happy with what they have received,” he said. Richard Gass, owner of Family Christmas Tree Farm in El Cajon, said buying a tree from Costco isn’t the same as getting it from a lot, which usually has higher costs.“We have a completely different business operation than a big box store,” he said.” We have to pay everything, where a big box sells millions of dollars of trees and gets them delivered at a much lower rate than ours. It’s a whole different ball game.”Unlike many big box stores, Gass said the experience at his business is different because trees are not wrapped up and the consumer gets to walk through the field and see what they’re buying. He said costs can add up for small operations. A Douglas fir costs him $13 to $18, then about $3 to $5 for freight and then labor costs and watering, which keep going up.  In some cases, he says he has increased the price of some tree varieties by 10 percent. He said it can be tough for growers, too, who can end up losing money depending on what the market is doing when the trees mature.

Gass said he has been in the business since 1972 and this year’s shortage, likely to continue into next year, is no worse that other cyclical shortages he’s seen. Demand for live-cut Christmas trees does not appear to be waning, despite some environmental concerns and changing preferences. “We have a certain niche that we cater to,” Osborne said. “There are people that would never buy a fake tree. They love beautiful trees. That’s what we sell.” (619) 293-1891 Twitter: @phillipmolnarSan Diego home price gains one of biggest in California> > > > big lots christmas decorations > Relevancy Transaction Level Response Rate Compare 2017 new play set wooden kitchen ,outdoor big lots christmas decorations Shanghai Z&C International Trading Co., Ltd. US $1-27.8 200 Sets Transaction Level Compare Big lots christmas decorations 3d outdoor christmas led street light motif Shenzhen Toprex Festival Decoration Co., Ltd. US $1-188 1 Set Transaction Level Compare Hot selling outdoor wall metal craft big lots christmas decorations Quanzhou Jinhuoba Gifts & Crafts Co.

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