'There’s a big demand for them': N.S. Christmas trees selling fast this season

Halifax, N.S. -

The quest is on for Erin Miller. She’s been looking around for the perfect Christmas tree, but to her surprise, has had to make a few stops.

“I got to get one today,” she said.

Miller was hoping to get a tree in Dartmouth at a popular tree lot operated by the Kiwanis Club, but their supply didn’t last long.

“We started with about 630 trees and we’re left now with about 25 trees,” says vendor Tim Rissessco. “Generally it takes about 10 days to sell the trees out but this year it went fast and last year it went fast as well.”

The Kiwanis Club buys its trees from John Venoit. He’s based in Baker Settlement and is one of about 1,200 growers in Nova Scotia.

Each year, Venoit cuts between 8,000 to 9,000 trees. He says this year he could have easily sold an additional 1,000 trees but he didn’t want to deplete his stocks for future seasons.

“Most of it is in the New England market in the U.S. but there is a lot of local demand you know, different clubs and just places where they sell trees, there’s a big demand for them,” Venoit says.

Gary Greene decided to get his Christmas tree a week earlier than usual this year and his persistence paid off.

“The trees I’ve looked at, they have been picked over and the trees weren’t exactly what I was looking for so I thought I would come over to Dartmouth and I found success,” Greene says.

Now that Greene has found the perfect tree, he can relax and enjoy the holiday season.