With the holidays fast approaching, the conditions could be in place for another tough season in the Christmas tree market.
At Langley’s Aldor Acres Christmas tree farm, owner Leanna Anderson said the company has managed to keep prices frozen this year.
But she said it’s getting harder and harder to do so.
“Business-wise it wasn’t probably the smartest move, but I know people are hurting,” she told Global News.
The industry is facing several challenges, according to Anderson, including a contraction in the Fraser Valley with 15 fewer farms than there were five years ago.
Fewer farms means fewer trees, pushing costs up. Even Aldor Acres, which grows some of its own trees, is feeling that pressure, as the cost to import more from elsewhere in B.C. climbs.
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And then there is inflation.
“I think it has pushed up the prices. It’s not just the supply, it’s the cost of everything, the cost of minimum wage, the cost of insurance, the cost of fertilizer … the cost of fuel, everything compounds,” she said.
The farm’s insurance alone has doubled, adding another $3,000 to the annual cost of doing business — in part due to rising premiums associated with recent extreme weather.
The effects of climate change are being felt elsewhere as well, as farms grapple with prolonged drought.
Aldor Acres managed to escape the worst of the dry weather, Anderson said, but others in the business haven’t been as lucky.
“We are really fortunate in that there is an irrigation system on the farm so we can irrigate our trees as needed, we have had some sunburn and some damage to some trees,” she said.
“Farmers that don’t have irrigation certainly do suffer, especially for their seedlings and some of their more prone trees like Grand Fir.”
Anderson, who is also the treasurer of the B.C. Christmas Tree Association, said many younger people no longer want to stick with the industry, citing long hours and low margins — along with the temptation to sell increasingly valuable land.
But she and others remain committed to revitalizing it, and said they’ve managed to grow the association from just 30 members a few years ago to about 125 now.
“It’s a labour of love,” she said.
“It’s so much fun to see the families coming. We’ve had families coming since 1992, and they’re four generations that come — they actually book times now to have a private fire pit, it’s a mini family reunion.”
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