A CHRISTMAS TREE MARKET ANALYSIS - IMPLICATIONS FROM ALBERTA, CANADA DATA

The 1990 Christmas tree market in Alberta, Canada was assessed in an attempt to determine the feasibility of growing such trees for local consumption. Almost 5 500 questionnaires were delivered to households and commercial establishments as part of this survey. In addition, many personal interviews were conducted. The information presented pertains to the wholesale and retail sales volumes and values by tree species. The socio-economic background of tree buying consumers and their traditional celebration and purchasing habits are also included. Our results suggest Albertans spent over $7 million (retail) to buy 300,000 natural Christmas trees during the 1990 holiday season, and that 87% of die wholesale value or $2.6 million was spent to buy trees from outside of Alberta. Consumers would prefer to buy high-quality, locally-grown trees.