Don Coburn, owner of Skeena Valley Christmas Tree Farm, is scaling down the business after years of supplying the region and province.

"[In 2020], I had around 2,000 trees coming in a year and I had customers," he said. "But then the price of trees went way up four years ago because of a shortage in North America and the world basically, so I began shipping them out to places like Vancouver, Victoria and Squamish."

In 2021, his farm expanded to around 4,200 trees. The following year he had around 3,700, around 2,600 the year after, and this year, he is down to around 1,500.

"I was growing too many trees and for a few years, I had too many trees and no customers," he said, speaking about how, when prices plateaued, he was left with overstocked inventory.

"Next year, it'll be for local people, just the U-cut. Hopefully I'll have a enough," Coburn shared. Since he had an excess of trees for a few years, he did not plant as many. 

"There's a little bit of a gap. Hopefully in a year or two, they'll fill."

Coburn is unsure how long he will stay in the business.

"I don't really know, but it's fun. There's no money to be made basically, but it's fun to do. As long as I can hobble around and hire people I guess."

He hopes to turn over the business to someone else in the future to keep stocking the region.

Coburn scaling down the farm will have a ripple affect in B.C.s northern communities.

He sent a scaled-down final shipment to the Prince Rupert Rotary Club this year, and for the first time in two decades, the Terrace Scouts club was not selling trees from the farm to raise money.

"We are being hit hard not having his trees for us to sell this year," said Alice Veen Sexton, Group Commissioner for Terrace Scouts.

"It鈥檚 our biggest fundraiser each year. We鈥檝e been supplied by Don for around 20 years. We always depended on it to cover our expenses to run sections."

Sexton said that they have not found other sources of revenue to make up for this loss.

"We will do some smaller fundraisers and hope for the best. He will be missed," she expressed.

For local residents, the Christmas tradition of going to Coburn's farm to cut their own tree will continue.