Indiana Tree Farm Raises Prices Because Of Climate Change

A Christmas tree farm in Bloomington says climate change and increased demand is prompting it to raise prices for the first time in 15 years.

Jeanne Hopwood is president of Twin H Tree Farms in Bloomington. She says local trees are getting harder and more expensive to grow each year.

“Those trees are costing me more than the trees I’m shipping in, because I lose so many and I work so hard at trying to keep them alive,” Hopwood says.

Hopwood says hotter, wetter summers have increased the amount of fungus and insects in the area, which makes it harder for the trees to grow.

To help with demand, she is bringing in trees from out-of-state.  But, she says the Bloomington farm may still run out of trees before Christmas.

“We may run out before that final weekend, just for the fact that we do have added customers,” Hopwood says.

Hopwood says the first weekend of December was the busiest so far, and the farm sold almost 300 trees on Sunday.