News Talk 94.1/AM 1600 Where The Upper Cumberland Talks
At least two Upper Cumberland Christmas tree farms aren’t being affected by a nationwide shortage of Christmas trees.
According to the U.S. Department of Agriculture, the shortage is occurring because of recent droughts and a recession nearly 10-years ago when farmers weren’t planting as many trees.
Allen Galloway owns Mark 4 Christmas Tree Farm in Cookeville and said the shortage is not affecting his business.
“Most of the smaller growers in this area have kept their growing up, as far as kept planting back during the recession and at other times. Most of us locally still have our choose and cut farms,” Galloway said. “Some farms that purchase pre-cut trees from the mountains over in East Tennessee and North Carolina may have run into some issues with their suppliers, but fortunately we were able to get about the same quantity that we have been purchasing.”
Allardt-based Sycamore Springs Christmas Tree Farm also has a plentiful supply of pick and cut trees, such as the Norway Spruce and Leyland Cypress.
So far, Sycamore Springs owner Lyna Pennycuff said she hasn’t experienced any problems with getting pre-cut trees from farms out-of-state. Those trees are Frasier Firs and other larger trees, which can’t grow in the Upper Cumberland because of low elevation.
