Why surging demand for Christmas trees is facing a flurry of problems
Global News
The Christmas tree farming industry in Canada is facing growing challenges, including increased demand, a shortage of younger farmers, climate change and rising costs.
For many families across Canada, cutting down a Christmas tree is a cherished holiday tradition.
But experts warn there may be a future snag as the industry faces growing demand coupled with environmental problems.
The desire for real Christmas trees has skyrocketed since lockdowns began in 2020 amid the COVID-19 pandemic, according to experts, and some sellers are struggling to keep up— with some farms already sold out for the season.
“Our industry has grown so rapidly in the last five years. Since 2020, it has really increased and so we are having a hard time keeping up with the demand,” said Shirley Brennan, the executive director of the Canadian Christmas Trees Association.
“Christmas tree farmers plant things in 10-year segments and it means farmers may not be able to plant the amount they need,” she told Global News.
When the COVID-19 pandemic hit and people were stuck indoors, Brennan said, many embraced the chance to get outside and pick out a Christmas tree. Since then, demand has only grown, with more people sticking to the tradition of cutting down their own tree year after year.
Christmas tree farms can be found all across Canada, from British Columbia to the Maritimes. In 2021, there were more than 1,300 of these tree-filled businesses nationwide, with Ontario boasting the most, according to Statistics Canada.
And 90 per cent of Christmas trees produced in Canada are farm-grown, according to the Canadian Christmas Tree Association.
An accused in the 2022 homicide of 16-year-old Devon Marsman appeared in Halifax court Tuesday, but proceedings will be delayed.
Privacy Commissioner Philippe Dufresne told MPs the government's order to windup TikTok's Canadian operations over national security concerns won't impact his own investigation.
The $8-million youth treatment and recovery facility is a project spearheaded by the Bridge Youth and Family Services organization, and hopes to accommodate up to 40 youth.
The Edmonton passport office was initially set to be closed until Monday, however Service Canada now says the downtown site will remain closed until further notice.
Geoffrey Hinton, a so-called godfather of artificial intelligence, is not boosting the latest tech startup or funding an initiative to counter the dangers of AI.
A Manitoba professor has made leaps and bounds in cancer research, developing a tool that could add years onto multiple myeloma patients' lives.
Prosecutors in Georgia says Sumanth Rao was indicted in connection with a fatal crash involving an underage driver who had been drinking at his Atlanta-area home.
The Assembly of First Nations says the ongoing postal strike is delaying supplies of medicine and other necessities in rural and remote communities.
As Canada Post workers remain on the picket line, a key point of contention in their demands is their job's growing physical and mental toll—exacerbated by climate change.
Donald Trump's comments come on the heels of a recent joke, when he suggested Canada should become the 51st U.S. state.
Several House of Commons committees being held in Wellington Building, which sits across Wellington Street from Parliament Hill, were suspended after alarms were heard.