Family's Christmas tree farm struggles to meet demand; other U.S. farms report the same

CENTRE CO., Pa. (WJAC) — If you were to ask a business owner if they wanted more demand for their products, they'd likely say yes. However, as you might have seen in national headlines, Christmas tree farms are having trouble meeting that demand.

This issue is not unique to Kuhns Tree Farm, a family operation serving Centre County since the 1980s.

"When we did the cost, what it cost us," owner Marianne Kuhns tells 6 News, pausing as she tries to hold back emotions, "it was stunning."

"We lost money last year. We will lose money again this year. Just— just because of not having the inventory, coupled with the demand."

In August, the Real Christmas Tree Board surveyed 55 wholesale growers across the country, supplying what the Board estimates as two-thirds of the U.S. Christmas tree market.

A plurality said their input costs went up between 11 and 15%. Another 27% said it was 16 to 20% more.

"Fertilizer prices almost tripled," Doug Banker, the farm's manager, tells 6 News. "Diesel's doubled, pesticide's doubled."

He says labor's always tough the first weekend, with all the Penn State University students gone, "which wasn't an issue until a few years ago."

"Everybody is now coming on Black Friday. So, the weekend that normally wasn't busy is now the busiest weekend of the year."

Quite simply, they say they'll run out of trees, like last year.

"We might make it to Saturday," Banker predicts. "I have a certain number of trees that I can sell. And then, when I reach that threshold, I have to close 'cause I need trees for next year. [I'm] trying to stay open, you know, year after year until I can get caught up."

All these factors are hiking the price of trees. Last year it cost $58 for a six-footer at Kuhns Tree Farm. Now it's $68.

Fake trees are an option, but far from a cheaper one.

"I was going to purchase a fake one," shopper Krizia Rebecca tells 6 News. "It was about, you know, a little over $200 and we did not spend nearly as much as that getting a six-and-a-half-foot tree this year. A real one at that!"

Banker says that there's no quick solution to all this, since they grow a foot a year, but that all they can do is plan ahead.

"In seven years, I'll have a lot more than we're offering right now," he notes. "And, in turn, we'll be able to stay open to when we used to normally stay open, which was Christmas Eve."

Until then, they hope to weather the supply storm.

"Doug has been here 26 years," Kuhns says. "Many of our workers have been here 15 to 20 years. It's a family thing. We're fortunate for that. They'll ride through this with us and hopefully come out on the other side, doing well."

Because of the long growing cycle, the question of when — or if — the supply of Christmas trees will be able to catch up with demand remains uncertain.

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