Bruce Graham’s family has been growing Christmas Trees for more than 40 years.
“Our family’s done it for a long time and it’s kind of my blood now. I enjoy it. I enjoy being outside,” said Graham.
Mary Christmas Tree farm is in Tully and has more than 5,000 trees. It’s a choose and cut operation that Bruce says brings in mostly families.
This year, customers have been more eager to get their tree because many are worried about the shortage.
Bruce says the Christmas tree business has been slowly declining in recent years, causing farmers to plant less and less. But things started to turn around last year, demand and interest went up, so much so that some tree farms closed early to save their supply.
It also increased sales at Mary Christmas Tree Farm and Bruce hopes it’s trend that continues.
“I prune most of the trees myself. At the end of the day you can see all your hard work pay off,” said Graham.
Seedlings are also in short supply. Bruce said he had to order inventory earlier than he’s ever had to before.
They plant new trees at the farm every year and Bruce says it takes 10 years for them to fully grow. They just hope, by that time, the demand for real Christmas trees remains the same.
Mary Christmas Tree Farm is open 9 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Friday through Sunday during the holiday season.
