Christmas tree supply improves, say lot workers

Many Christmas tree lots are open for business across Calgary, and workers say supply issues from a few years ago have abated.

Christmas Treeland is located at Sarcee Trail and Richmond Road SW.

It's one of the longest-running tree lots in the city.

There are balsam, Fraser and B.C. firs, as well as hybrid trees.

Much of the supply is shipped from Quebec and the Maritimes.

A few years ago, there was a downturn in the number of producers growing trees in Canada.

But workers say supply is good at the moment.

"This year we've got probably two or three thousand trees in. But more In the eight to nine foot size, not tall trees," says Christmas Treeland worker Jim Moule.

Moule says real Christmas trees still have broad appeal among shoppers.

"I think they just love that spirit of Christmas. They like to have the scent that you get off the trees when you bring them home and they're warming up," he says.

"It just gives you a real sense of the closeness of Christmas."

The owner of Christmas Treeland" David Skene, is in his 48th year of selling trees in Calgary.

Food bank donations are being collected on site