The Economics Of Christmas Trees

The economics of a good that takes almost a decade to produce and gets almost all of its sales within a few days each year are bound to be fascinating. The Hustle's article on the economics  of Christmas trees is exactly that.

Some interesting bits:

What makes a Christmas tree an unusual crop is its extremely long production cycle: one tree takes 8-10 years to mature to 6 feet.

During that time, it’s a financial black hole.

History has shown that the industry is a case study in supply and demand:

In the 1990s, farmers planted too many Christmas trees. The glut resulted in rock-bottom prices throughout the early 2000s and put many farms out of business.

During the recession in 2008, ailing farmers planted too few trees. As a result, prices have been much higher since 2016.