Real Christmas trees selling fast in ‘yucky year’ for Nevadans

The holiday season has more tree options than ever, from pre-lit artificial trees to potted countertop evergreens, but for many Nevadans, only a visit to a tree lot will do.

“We always get a real tree every year, it’s just a tradition I grew up with,” said Las Vegan Lisa Chatham, who selected a tree at the Star Nursery location on Tropicana Avenue and Fort Apache Road with her daughter. “I just like the way they look and the real ones and the smell, especially living in the desert. Getting a real tree will bring a little cheer since 2020 has been a yucky year.”

Christmas tree sellers say business is booming, leaving trees in short supply, as families look for safe ways to celebrate the holiday.

Rudolph’s Christmas Trees owner John Rubbico said demand for real Christmas trees at its five locations across the valley soared 25 percent compared with last year. While the company declined to share how many trees it purchased this year, Rubbico said the company ordered 20 percent more than it did last year to satisfy local demand.

“We’re seeing people of all ages from young families, singles, to the elderly community who normally don’t come out for trees,” Rubbico said.

Sales surge

And with holiday parties and celebrations canceled, Nevada families are looking for safe ways to create special memories.

“More people are going out this year with their families and using this fresh-cut Christmas tree as an experience because it’s outdoors and socially distanced. They can pick the live tree and then have it in their home,” Rubbico said.

Doug Hundley, of the National Christmas Tree Association, agrees.

“The family experience of going on a trip and picking out a tree in the outdoors, bringing it home and decorating it is always very important to American families and this year, perhaps more important than ever. It’s a day spent together,” Hundley said. “I think people need the Christmas spirit this year more than ever just to mitigate the stresses of this COVID year.”

The trade group found 26.2 million real Christmas trees were bought in 2019 with a median price of $76.87, representing a $2.01 billion industry in the U.S.

That figure is expected to balloon this year.

“We don’t have it quantified yet, but indications are pretty obvious that we’re going to have better sales this year,” Hundley said.

Selling out quick

Farmers can’t always seize the opportunity and quickly offer new supply for a specific year. It takes six to 10 years to grow a Christmas tree, and farms are careful in managing their crops, said Chal Landgren, a Christmas tree specialist at Oregon State University.

“The supply is about the same as last year – Oregon shipped about 4.3 million to 4.5 million trees,” Landgren said. Oregon is the largest producer of trees in the U.S. and is where many lots in Las Vegas source their evergreens, including Star Nursery, which has nine locations in Nevada and several more in Utah and Arizona.

Paul Noe, the resident horticultural adviser at Star Nursery, traveled twice to Oregon between August and September to handpick trees to arrive the week before Thanksgiving. This year, the company placed an order of 18,000 Christmas trees for its stores, up 3,000 from 2019.

“With more people not taking trips and having to stay at home doing more family-oriented things like holiday decorations, it started off real quick for us selling trees,” Noe said. Around Thanksgiving, the company sold 5,000 trees in its first week.

“The second full week, we sold close to 12,000 trees,” he added. “We did try to buy as many as possible because last year we ran out so quickly, and I think we’re going to run out again this year.”

As of Tuesday, Star Nursery has fewer than 3,000 trees left at its locations.

“If people don’t have a tree as of yet, then they should buy it as soon as possible because they’re going to be in short supply after this weekend,” Noe said.

Contact Jonathan Ng at jng@reviewjournal.com. Follow @ByJonathanNg on Twitter.