Donald Trump’s tariffs are helping US Christmas tree growers gain ground in their decades-long war against fake firs, creating a rare bit of cheer at the end of a difficult year for American agriculture.
Grower Bill Burrows, who farms 2,700 acres in Willamette Valley, Oregon’s main Christmas tree-growing region, says several retailers he supplies report that customers are switching from artificial to real trees this year “because of the price increase and the availability problem” with artificial ones.
Burrows sells to independent lots and big-box stores, as well as exporting to China, Mexico and Canada. “All customers . . . are price conscious and they always look for a value. And it just so happens that this year that real trees are definitely a value over artificial trees,” said Burrows.