By Bob Groeneveld/Special to the 91原创 Advance

Anyone looking for Christmas trees in 91原创 this year is bound to find plenty, despite the shortages that are reportedly expected to plague other places.

鈥淲e are not going to have any problems meeting people鈥檚 needs,鈥� said John Cowie of Arts Nursery in Port Kells, though he added, 鈥淚t just has been more difficult finding trees this year.鈥�

He has had to source eight suppliers this year, instead of 鈥渢he usual two or three,鈥� and has had to go farther afield than usual to stock his lot.

鈥淚nstead of buying mostly from Oregon and Washington and B.C., we鈥檝e actually had to branch into Ontario,鈥� he said.

There are plenty of locally grown trees, like Douglas firs, he said, but the types of trees he normally gets from south of the border 鈥� the Noble, Grand, and Nordmann firs 鈥� have been harder to find.

鈥淭he local growers鈥� we have lots of Douglas fir available this year,鈥� agreed Al Neufeld of Fernridge Christmas Tree Forest at 2828 208th St.

His operation is one of many in 91原创 that rely on their own trees or stock up from other Lower Mainland growers.

鈥淕rand fir is our other main tree,鈥� he said, 鈥渁nd we have a few Fraser fir, as well.鈥�

鈥淲e are wholesaling some to a couple of the local nurseries in town,鈥� said Neufeld.. 鈥淢ainly the Douglas fir, that鈥檚 where we have some extras in numbers.鈥�

Douglas firs are the fastest growing trees, taking five to six years to reach salable maturity, while Nobel and Grand firs, he said, take 鈥渁nother year or two to get to that six-foot height.鈥�

Ken Geisbrecht of Geisbrecht鈥檚 Tree Farm grows his own Noble, Fraser, Grand, and Douglas firs for sale off his lot at 5871 248th St.

鈥淚t took a lot of extra irrigation this year,鈥� he said, but he鈥檒l have no problem providing all of his usual customers鈥� needs for Christmas trees.

鈥淲e always have some available stock. We鈥檝e got lots of trees. We鈥檝e got a big farm and we鈥檝e been here a long time.鈥�

Geisbrecht鈥檚 father bought the property in 1963 and began selling trees in 1968. The farm will be celebrating its 50th anniversary next year.

Just down the road, at Churchland Christmas Tree farm, at 4726 248th St., Wendy McGuire has had to 鈥渢ake a sort of different route this year鈥� because her usual suppliers were unable to provide her with the usual stock numbers.

鈥淏ut it鈥檚 not going to affect me so much this year,鈥� she said. 鈥淲e鈥檙e going to be cutting our trees fresh off our fields.鈥�

鈥淲e used to be a wholesaler,鈥� she said, 鈥渂ut we don鈥檛 have trees for wholesale at all now. That鈥檚 what we鈥檙e selling off the lot.鈥�

Like the others, McGuire doesn鈥檛 think that the fires that raged through the Interior and the United States are responsible for any tree shortages.

Drought a few summers ago may have had a hand, more so than the past dry summer, by affecting crops of young trees and seedlings that would be reaching marketable size now and for the next couple of years.

But for those who stock their lots with trees from south of the border, the American economy is probably a bigger issue.

鈥淓ight or nine years ago, when these trees would have been planted, there was a recession going on in the States, so they didn鈥檛 plant as many, and suppliers shut down,鈥� explained Cowie.

鈥淎nd now that the economy has picked up again, the demand is really high for trees, but there鈥檚 not as much supply,鈥� he added.

鈥淭he local trees, there鈥檚 no problem,鈥� said Neufeld, 鈥渂ut for some of the big box stores that might import trees from the States, the U.S. dollar would make that less desirable for them.鈥�

Coupled with real tree shortages reported in the U.S., he said, 鈥淭hey don鈥檛 have excess amount of trees to get rid of in the Canadian market.鈥�

So while there isn鈥檛 a shortage at local tree, the overall result is fewer trees in the market, he explained, 鈥淲hich usually results in prices going up.鈥�

For a comprehensive listing of Lower Mainland retail and U-cut tree outlets, visit the BC Christmas Tree Council .