O Christmas Tree!

Canadian Christmas tree growers are suffering from fewer U.S. sales this year due increasing cost and competition from growers on the other side of the border. More than half of Canada's Christmas trees are shipped here, but that figure has dropped by 20% over the last five years. During that same period, the value of the Canadian dollar grew by nearly 50%. Worse news for the growers, they are paid in U.S. currency (the Canadian dollar is 15% higher in value now than at the beginning of the year). Presumably as a result of these bad tidings, Nova Scotia's Kirk Forest Products has gone out of business. Higgins Family Christmas Trees (also from Nova Scotia) is shipping 30,000 trees to the East Coast. So do your part and buy Canadian!

Canadian Christmas Tree Growers Association http://www.christmastree.net/