This is our eight to nine foot area over here, and they're all empty.

For 35 years, Ivy Speck has been spreading Christmas cheer, shipping in Christmas trees from a farm in North Carolina and selling them to the people of Chicago.

Those are.

All trees. But this year, the tall trees her customers love didn't show up.

We ordered a couple of thousand, and this year we were shorted probably 500 of those. Nine to ten footers don't even exist anymore. Nine to nines are where we got shorted. We never got any 9 to 10s. Couldn't even order them this year.

Most Americans trees come from Oregon, North Carolina, Michigan, Pennsylvania, Wisconsin, and Washington. But retailers like Ivy all across the country have faced a short supply the last several years.

People definitely want to cut their own tree, but we just can't grow them fast enough.

We opened them up for the first weekend, and then pretty much by the end that first weekend were closed.

Why is there such a tight supply this year?

The tight supply actually goes all the way back to 2008 and the recession. There was an oversupply of trees and growers were having a hard time selling them. And because of that, they didn't plant back as many trees.

This tree is about seven feet tall, and that takes about 15 years to grow. So it was likely planted right around the time of the 2008 recession. Here they sell for 200 dollars. That's double the national average of about $80 to 100 dollars a tree. So the.

Farmers had to adjust for an increase in pricing due to inflation. Nearly seven in 10 growers say it's costing them 10 % more to sell their trees this year.

They're a little bit more.

Expensive.

But with field costs and things like that, that's to be expected. Trees in the past five years have went up, probably doubled from the past. We just have to bring that along over to the consumer.

With less trees to choose from, Ivy says customers looking for the perfect one.

Aren't happy. Very upset. Don't understand. They're walking out.

He's even losing customers because you don't have enough trees.

Exactly. A lot of customers, and we're upset about that.

Even so, this year there's extra excitement for live trees over artificial, which are often cheaper.

The whole smell of the live tree in the house, it's unlike anything else. It's just Christmas.

20 % of people surveyed are planning to buy a real Christmas tree for the first time. Experts say it's largely millennials like me, excited to decorate for the holiday.

Totally get that. As you can see with my tree already up.

Or young families looking to start new traditions with any tree, whether it's big or small.

And.

Tonight Maura joins us from Ivy's Christmas trees. Maura, we know that you got to get out there this weekend if you haven't already for the best selection. Any other tips for shoppers?

Well, Tom, in cities, some lots like these actually take online reservations ahead of time. You can guarantee the tree size that you're looking for. Or if you're one of those lucky Americans that lives near a national forest, you can actually get a permit for just five dollars to go and cut down a tree on your own. So if you're looking for cost savings and an adventure, that's a good option, too.

You just got to make sure there's no birds or squirrels in that tree once you chop it down. But that does sound like fun. Maura Bear, Maura, thank you so much for that. Hopefully, people are going to go out and get their trees.

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