Christmas tree sales soar as people look to decorate for holiday cheer

EL PASO, Texas — Christmas tree sellers say the coronavirus pandemic is driving heavy traffic by shoppers this year and some lots are running out of trees.

The real Christmas tree industry, which has been battling increased interest in artificial trees, is glad to see that more Americans appear to be flocking to fresh-cut evergreens this season, seeking a bright spot amid the virus’s worsening toll.

This season, both wholesale tree farmers and small cut-your-own lots are reporting strong demand. Businesses say they are seeing more people than ever.

A number of reasons are driving the uptick in interest. More Americans are staying home for the holidays amid pandemic restrictions and are realizing that for the first time in years — or maybe ever — they will be home to water a fresh-cut tree. With holiday parades and festivals canceled, stir-crazy families also are looking for a safe way to create special memories.

A national organization says industry research tells them many people who put up an artificial tree last year plan to buy a real tree this year, and most are citing the pandemic as the reason.

“Yes, it’s a product, it’s a decoration that you put in your home, but getting a real tree involves the choosing, the hunting for it, the family outing. It really is a memory maker, it’s a day you spend together, and it really becomes much bigger than the tree itself,” said Marsha Gray, executive director of the Christmas Tree Promotion Board. “It’s really making family memories and people really seem to gravitate to that right now.”

The growing interest in real trees comes after the industry had struggled to attract new, younger customers in recent years as more Americans bought artificial trees.

No one tracks annual sales of real trees because independent tree lots are so scattered, but those in the business estimate about 20 million trees or more are sold each year, most of them at big box stores such as Costco and Home Depot.

Oregon, the state which is the nation’s No. 1 supplier of fresh-cut trees, expects to ship nearly 6 million evergreens this season.