With trees having sold out in only four days, the Kiwanis Club is well aware there is a Christmas Tree shortage. 

The Kiwanis Club brought in over 200 Christmas Trees from their supplier, including half a dozen 12ft behemoths. In no time at all, the trees, large and small, were all sold out, leaving only pine needles and sticks behind. 

Normally that is great news for the group, for which the tree sale is one of their largest fundraisers. However, being that local retailers were unable to bring in much if any supply of real trees this year, it has left the community clear cut of options. 

Mac Forrester, a Kiwanis Club member, admits that the club is blown away by just how fast Swift Current consumed the stock they had. 

"We did get a few more trees this year than we did last year," said Forrester. "There was quite a run on our trees when that word got around, so we sold out in very short order."

The order for the Kiwanis Club trees was made early this year, with the North Battleford-based supplier advising that there was an expectation for limited quantities. 

As it turns out, there is a North American-wide shortage of trees. Many of the ones grown in Canada get fed to the demand in America, leaving local centres pining for more. 

"We did make a call to see if there were some more trees available from our supplier," said Forrester. "He indicated to us that all his harvested stock was gone. There was nothing available for us to obtain."

Forrester offered some hope int that majour Cities like Moose Jaw, Medicine Hat, Regina and Saskatoon may still have trees. That chance gets slimmer every day, and the drive is a big commitment for a tree. 

Retailers like Canadian Tire, Walmart, and Peavey Mart all have artificial trees for sale. 

 

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