Cow Bay, N.S., firefighters face Christmas tree shortage after supplier loses crop to pests

The Eastern Passage Cow Bay Firefighters Association is facing a potential setback for their annual Christmas tree sale after their longtime supplier lost this year’s crop to a pest infestation.

“The sales is one thing and the money we make from it, but we do get a lot of people that like to just come and visit the tree lot and talk to the people that are volunteering,” said Patrick Sangster, Cow Bay Firefighters Association’s president.

Each year the association buys 400 trees from its supplier and sells them back to the community at a discount.

“I’ve been here for 25 years, and we’ve been doing this since before I joined. It’s a tradition for a lot of people around here,” said Sangster.

Despite the supplier’s setback, the Christmas Tree Council of Nova Scotia says signs of infestation on farms are not province wide.

“We have seen fungicides, or rust as we call it in trees,” said Mike Harlow, president of the Christmas Tree Council of Nova Scotia. “Bug infestation has been relatively low.”

Harlow said most growers in Nova Scotia are experiencing a strong season.

“Overall health has been exceptional. It’s been a great year,” said Harlow. “The biggest concern we see now is rain. We need wet weather and start to get some cooler nights.”

Cow Bay firefighters are looking at other tree suppliers, which they expect will cost more, but nothing has been finalized.

“Waiting on quotes right now from different vendors. I think we have a supplier but we’re waiting on the final numbers to make sure we can still get the trees,” said Sangster.

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