Lowcountry Christmas Tree Farm has a lot of options for customers

CHARLESTON, SC (WCBD) – Christmas trees have been hard to come by for some people in the Lowcountry this year, but a Berkeley County tree farm has a stock that should last.

Lebanon Christmas Tree Farm has both pre-cut Fraser firs and other trees that you can cut yourself.

The farm offers a happy sight to people like Carl Kokinakis of Mount Pleasant who spent two weeks looking for a tree.

“This place was the only place we found. Everything Mount Pleasant is complete, ”said Kokinakis. “We drive as far as we need to. It is a 50 minute drive from Mount Pleasant.

Others like Richard Chase and his family still come to Lebanon for their tree, which they choose to cut down.

“We always cut it, it’s tradition. They have a decent selection, ”said Chase. “Kids love it. “

Farm owner Julianna Velarde says it has been very difficult to secure shipments of pre-cut Fraser Fir this year.

“I spent two days from 8:30 am to 6:30 pm trying to find these trees and nobody has any in the United States and Canada. I found a guy in Vermont. He was able to sell them to me. I was stressed all the time that I couldn’t secure a shipment for these Christmas trees, ”said Velarde.

The National Christmas Tree Association (NCTA) says the perceived shortage of trees is due to farmers planting fewer seeds during the Great Recession.

“There has been a change in the supply of real trees over the past five years, but we don’t call it a shortage because we don’t think a community is going without real trees to choose from or anyone else. goes without a real tree if that’s what they want, ”said Doug Hundley, spokesperson for the NCTA.

Since trees take about seven to eight years to grow before they are sold as saplings, the effects of growing a smaller amount of trees are now being felt.

Hundley admitted there were fewer trees in the Christmas tree lots than there were 20 years ago, but said it was a good thing. There is less waste because supply matches demand better.

Velarde had to pay more for the trees than she could find, which means the price she is asking is a bit higher.

“I haven’t even doubled the price. It’s really difficult. A lot of people say that maybe I’m a little crazy not to double it, but I don’t care, I just want my clients to be happy, ”said Velarde.

Pre-cut trees at Lebanon’s Christmas tree farms cost more than trees you can cut yourself.

“There is a huge price difference. (The trees you can cut down) start at $ 14 a foot until you hit 12 feet and then it goes up from there, ”Velarde said.