Christmas tree shortage forces Mattituck farm to close for season
Rows of not-quite mature Douglas fir trees at the Shamrock Christmas Tree Farm in Mattituck are shown on Wednesday. Credit: Newsday/John Paraskevas
A canceled shipment of trees amid a nationwide shortage of the holiday staple has forced a popular North Fork Christmas tree farm to close for the season, its owner said Wednesday.
Joe Shipman said he had planned to open his Shamrock Christmas Tree Farm in Mattituck on Nov. 24 until he learned Tuesday that a wholesale supplier in Pennsylvania canceled a "trayload" of 800 trees that Shamrock planned to sell along with those grown at the farm.
“Right up until yesterday we were promised one trayload of trees, but we found out we’re not getting any, there is a shortfall,” Shipman said. “There’s going to be a tremendous amount of disappointed people and nothing I can do, but hopefully this is the best for the future of the farm so we can recoup and open next year.”
Shipman's plight as the 2023 holiday season beckons is shared by other Christmas tree sellers nationwide.
Retailers and industry experts have cited a number of factors to explain a limited supply of trees across the country since 2016, including fewer trees planted eight to 10 years ago because of an economic downturn.
The majority of trees usually come from farms in Michigan, North Carolina and Oregon, said Tim O’Connor, executive director of the National Christmas Tree Association in Colorado. The growth cycle of a typical Christmas tree, from seedling to being sellable, is about eight to10 years, according to those in the industry.
“Once planting is set, you can’t hurry it up and bring new trees to the marketplace,” O’Connor said. “Fewer trees were planted in the recessions and so we’ve had a tight supply, we’ve never had a situation where families looking for real trees came up empty-handed and there’s always somewhere else where they can get a tree.”
Shipman said other factors, including the Canadian wildfires — from which smoke drifted south and damaged or killed trees grown on farms — have forced some wholesalers to limit shipment of Christmas trees or not accept new customers.
“There’s not a farm from here to Virginia that has any extra trees,” Shipman said. “The last thing we want to do is open halfway. We’re being honest and hope people will come back next year.”
At Santa’s Christmas Tree Farm in nearby Cutchogue, Toni Sinning said they work closely with Shipman and are bracing for the potential overflow of customers over the next several weeks. She said they don’t plan to raise prices because of limited supply.
“My stock in the ground is ready for this year and the business we have,” Sinning said. “The shortage is real. There are really none to be had.”
Industry officials said the average price nationally for trees is about $80, but the price can climb much higher on Long Island and in other parts of the country.
The Melville Fire Department began ordering trees in January for this Christmas season. They expect to have about 750 delivered by the Friday after Thanksgiving, Capt. Andrew Taveras said.
Shipping costs have increased the price of some 7-to-8-foot trees from $75 to $130 and the department expects about 50 trees delivered will not be in condition to sell.
“The price of trees is going up given the high demand and cost of employees and the cost of freight has gone up,” Taveras said. “We shut down last year and got the ball rolling after New Year.”
A canceled shipment of trees amid a nationwide shortage of the holiday staple has forced a popular North Fork Christmas tree farm to close for the season, its owner said Wednesday.
Joe Shipman said he had planned to open his Shamrock Christmas Tree Farm in Mattituck on Nov. 24 until he learned Tuesday that a wholesale supplier in Pennsylvania canceled a "trayload" of 800 trees that Shamrock planned to sell along with those grown at the farm.
“Right up until yesterday we were promised one trayload of trees, but we found out we’re not getting any, there is a shortfall,” Shipman said. “There’s going to be a tremendous amount of disappointed people and nothing I can do, but hopefully this is the best for the future of the farm so we can recoup and open next year.”
Shipman's plight as the 2023 holiday season beckons is shared by other Christmas tree sellers nationwide.
Retailers and industry experts have cited a number of factors to explain a limited supply of trees across the country since 2016, including fewer trees planted eight to 10 years ago because of an economic downturn.
The majority of trees usually come from farms in Michigan, North Carolina and Oregon, said Tim O’Connor, executive director of the National Christmas Tree Association in Colorado. The growth cycle of a typical Christmas tree, from seedling to being sellable, is about eight to10 years, according to those in the industry.
“Once planting is set, you can’t hurry it up and bring new trees to the marketplace,” O’Connor said. “Fewer trees were planted in the recessions and so we’ve had a tight supply, we’ve never had a situation where families looking for real trees came up empty-handed and there’s always somewhere else where they can get a tree.”
Shipman said other factors, including the Canadian wildfires — from which smoke drifted south and damaged or killed trees grown on farms — have forced some wholesalers to limit shipment of Christmas trees or not accept new customers.
“There’s not a farm from here to Virginia that has any extra trees,” Shipman said. “The last thing we want to do is open halfway. We’re being honest and hope people will come back next year.”
At Santa’s Christmas Tree Farm in nearby Cutchogue, Toni Sinning said they work closely with Shipman and are bracing for the potential overflow of customers over the next several weeks. She said they don’t plan to raise prices because of limited supply.
“My stock in the ground is ready for this year and the business we have,” Sinning said. “The shortage is real. There are really none to be had.”
Industry officials said the average price nationally for trees is about $80, but the price can climb much higher on Long Island and in other parts of the country.
The Melville Fire Department began ordering trees in January for this Christmas season. They expect to have about 750 delivered by the Friday after Thanksgiving, Capt. Andrew Taveras said.
Shipping costs have increased the price of some 7-to-8-foot trees from $75 to $130 and the department expects about 50 trees delivered will not be in condition to sell.
“The price of trees is going up given the high demand and cost of employees and the cost of freight has gone up,” Taveras said. “We shut down last year and got the ball rolling after New Year.”
John Asbury is a breaking news and general assignment reporter. He has been with Newsday since 2014 and previously worked at The Press-Enterprise in Riverside, California.
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