Christmas Tree Prices Standing Firm

Christmas tree prices at larger retail chains like Home Depot and Lucky Food Centers should remain fairly stable this year, according to Jim Auld, sales manager for Holiday Tree Farm, which imports Douglas and noble fir trees into Orange and Los Angeles counties from tree farms in the Northwest.

“Our prices at wholesale are pretty much the same as last year,” said Auld, whose company unloads trainloads of trees in Los Angeles and trucks them to locations around the Southland. “In fact, the low prices are cutting into artificial trees. Five or 10 years ago, a noble might have sold for $50 or $60, above what artificial trees were selling for.

“Now a 6- or 7-foot noble will sell for $25 or $26.”

Greg Johnson covers retail businesses and restaurants for The Times. He can be reached at (714) 966-5950 and at greg.johnson@latimes.com.