Treasure Valley Faces Christmas Tree Shortage

There are a few things that people feel VERY strongly about when it comes to the holidays: when to put up the Christmas tree, opening presents on Christmas Eve vs Christmas day...and what type of tree goes up in the living room.

I grew up in a family that had two Christmas trees in the house.  We had a beautiful artificial tree in our piano room (which I'd love to know where my dad bought that almost 30 years ago because it still looks better than mine) and a live tree in our family room.  My favorite was the live tree because it made the whole first floor of the house smell so good!

Unfortunately, in my adult life, I can't have a live tree in my apartment.  It's not against the rules or anything, but as you can see by this picture...our cat Dakota thinks the tree is really just a giant cat toy.  I took it when he was just a couple months old.  He's six now and STILL thinks he can do this. (Spoiler: He can't. When he gets up in the tree now, it falls over.) I can't even imagine trying to clean the sap out of that cat if he got into a live tree!

That's why I'm happy so many other people in the Treasure Valley appreciate the joys of being #teamrealtree!  But if you wait too long to get yours this year, you may not be getting a live tree at all.  According to the Idaho Statesman, the Northwest is now facing a Christmas tree shortage that actually dates back to the recession in 2008. When money was tight, families turned to artificial options that they could reuse every year instead of throwing out on the curb.  With a smaller demand for trees, many Christmas tree farms were forced to either close or seriously scale back how many trees they were growing.

Fast forward to the present day where farms are getting nearly 20 times the normal amount of requests for trees, it's no surprise that there's going to be a shortage. Things like drought, seedling shortages and wildfires also hurt the growers chances of having enough trees ready in time for the holidays in 2017.

If that live tree is the cornerstone of your holiday, there's one Boise Nursery that's accepting pre-orders so that you can be assured your tree for a fair price (before they skyrocket due the shortage.)  That's the North End Organic Nursery on Chinden.  Their trees range between $39-$215 depending on the tree's height.

The Idaho Statesman's Katy Moeller also talked to Zamzows and found out that they're expecting their trees to sell out quickly when they arrive in November.