Hartford, Conn. (WTIC Radio)-Despite a scare from the national media on a shortage of Christmas trees, Connecticut reports a robust season for sales, enhanced by favorable weather, said Kathy Kogut, Executive Director of the Christmas Tree Growers Association.
According to Kogut, the scare caused many customers to shop before Thanksgiving.
"A lot of farms in Connecticut had to close early seeing they have x number of trees to sell in order to have enough inventory for this year and the following year. So, they sold their quotas and had to close early. So, there were some disappointed people that they couldn't go to their regular farms," Kogut said.
Kogut said some of the five hundred tree farms in Connecticut use supplemental trees to increase inventory. But she said that was more difficult this year. She said Canada experienced a late frost and a lot of trees were damaged, so they cut a lot of orders. Additionally, Kogut explained that freight charges from North Carolina were so exorbitant that growers couldn't afford to bring them here.
A lot of rain and warmer temperatures produced a colorful bounty of trees, she said.
Prices remained constant. "Nobody gouged anybody or jumped the prices. Costs went up this year, but farmers try not to pass that along. If trees get too expensive, people aren't going to buy them," said Kogut.
Connecticut has more than five hundred Christmas tree farms, stretching over five thousand acres. Kogut said that makes Christmas trees the state's largest agricultural commodity.
The state reports last year 150-thousand Christmas trees were sold in Connecticut.
Kogut reminds customers to water trees morning and night every day.