An unknown person, or persons, drove onto Harvey and Rosanne Dutkewich’s property just outside Brandon and, in broad daylight, took down one of their blue spruce trees and carted it off.
The theft occurred Dec. 9, the day after The Brandon Sun carried a Winnipeg Free Press story about a Christmas tree shortage in the capital.
“I took my wife to school. I got back at almost 1:30, then I went to pick her up at 3:30, and I saw the tracks,” Harvey said.
“And I saw a couple of boughs on the road.”
He said to Rosanne, I bet someone took a tree. Rosanne encouraged him to drive into the field and see.
“The tracks were there, and we know they were not there when he was taking me to school,” Rosanne said.
“You have to be pretty bold to go into someone’s field, cut a big tree, and haul it away. It will be the best-looking tree in Brandon, surely.”
The blue spruce is remarkable for its “resplendent silver-blue-green needles,” according to thespruce.com.
They are one of the most widely planted landscape trees because they make a great windbreak. They are also highly valued as a Christmas tree.
The couple has roughly 600 spruce trees on their property, which they planted 24 years ago, though some were planted later and are 10 to 12 years old. The trees in the area where the theft occurred are from eight to 12 feet tall.
These trees serve a practical function for Harvey and Rosanne, as a shelter belt for their property.
“They’re so nice as a windbreak because they don’t allow the wind to come through,” Harvey said.
The province announced Dec. 3 that it would begin selling permits to cut Christmas trees on Crown land. Asked if it’s evident his trees are on private property, Harvey said yes.
He called the RCMP, as well as municipal police. He said RCMP told him they would increase patrols in the area. The neighbourhood watch system is on alert. Harvey and Rosanne are worried, that with a Christmas tree shortage, others may find their trees enticing.
“They were obviously looking for trees because they came down the road, went past my place, then made a U-turn, then went back and turned into the yard,” Harvey said, adding that a few years ago a neighbour had a similar problem with people cutting down his trees.
However, the original story on the shortage was about Winnipeg.
Is there a shortage in Brandon? Yes and no.
On Thursday, Alternative Landscaping had three left. The Green Spot Garden Centre was sold out. Canadian Superstore turned its shipment around, with the announcement of level red COVID-19 restrictions. Canadian Tire trees are reportedly boxed in and unsold.
Both Karin Griffin of Alternative, and Bernie Whetter of Green Spot, as well as reports from around Canada, indicate the scarcity of trees has to do with families staying home rather than travelling this Christmas due to COVID-19.
Griffin told the Sun her business, which has been selling Christmas trees for seven years, definitely saw a surge in sales this year. Normally, the busiest time is between Dec. 1 and 10, and they sell out by Dec. 15. The business ordered an extra 100 trees this year, for a total of 450.
Selling the trees wasn’t a concern for Griffin, even though the trees arrived two days before the business had to close its doors. The locally owned business adapted, going so far as to send videos of trees to clients who might normally linger for an hour searching for the perfect tree. Alternative began selling its trees on Nov. 18, and most were sold before Dec. 1.
“People will find a way to get a tree,” Griffin said.
That said, she was shocked by the Dutkewichs’ story.
Whetter similarly received his trees Nov. 16, and sold out his several hundred two weeks earlier than usual, by Dec. 1.
Both businesses looked into acquiring more trees, but that didn’t pan out.
Whetter explained the distribution system — the trees come from Quebec, and orders are placed in August and September. Whetter was able to get a small extra amount for a Dauphin fundraiser. In early December, his supplier offered more trees, similar to Griffin.
“We were going to take some because we were still receiving calls. We would have taken another 50 or whatever we could get our hands on because we were still getting calls,” Whetter said.
“But it didn’t come to fruition because the guy that was supplying our supplier turned around and sold the whole works in the U.S. That’s what we’re finding with a lot of our suppliers because our trees come from Quebec, and they seem to sell to the U.S. before they’ll sell to us. I don’t know why.”
Whetter figures it has to do with numbers and shipping logistics — a small business getting an extra 50 or a larger enterprise buying whole semi-loads.
Meanwhile, the RCMP did not reply to questions about what they can do about the Dutkewich incident, and whether others have called in for the same reason.
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