Christmas Tree Growers Expecting Sales Growth to be Flat This Year

Wednesday, December 7th, 2022 -- 8:00 AM

(By Hope Kirwan, Wisconsin Public Radio) With nationwide travel back to pre-pandemic levels this holiday season, fewer people are expected to be home for the holidays.

And, according to Hope Kirwan with Wisconsin Public Radio, that has some Wisconsin Christmas tree growers anticipating a slow-down in tree sales this year. Greg Hann, marketing director for the Wisconsin Christmas Tree Producers Association, said demand has been strong this year.

But he’s expecting overall sales growth to be flat after two years of booming sales during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic. "Our industry saw a huge spike during COVID and now people are getting back together with family in Florida or, 'Let’s go and visit that family,'" said Hann, who also owns Hann’s Christmas Farm in Dane County.

"So (sales are) starting to plateau a little bit." But an end to the pandemic boom isn’t necessarily bad for tree growers in the state. Hann said the more normal pace is a chance for producers to catch up on producing larger tree sizes that take more growing years.

"Growers who had some six- and seven-foot trees that they were hoping to save to grow into eight-, nine- and 10-foot trees, they decided to cut them (in 2020 and 2021) because there was a huge demand," he said.

By cutting fewer trees this year, Hann said growers should be able to get back on track as they plan over their crop’s 10-year cycle from planting to harvest. But some farms that focus on providing an in-person experience say they’re as busy as ever this year.

Therese Olson, owner of Lowes Creek Tree Farm outside of Eau Claire, said 60 percent of their farm’s income comes in during the weekend after Thanksgiving and the first week of December. This is the farm’s 32nd year in business.

"We’ve seen an increase over the last three years based on the last two weekends," Olson said. "We have again seen new customers come and want to celebrate with a real Christmas tree." Christmas tree growers haven’t been exempt from the impact of inflation this year.

Hann said producers have had to spend more on fertilizer to grow the trees, fuel to transport them locally or nationally and labor throughout the process. That’s caused growers to raise tree prices for customers an estimated 10 percent this year.

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