NORTH CAROLINA -- With North Carolina being one of few states to export trees to other states for retail purposes, you wouldn't think the supply aspect of Christmas trees would ever be a problem.

But tree farmers are saying otherwise. "We are seeing a shortage because of the drought and all the fires that we had" says David Miller, a farmer at Peak Farms in Ash County.

Though David says this year's numbers are better than last year, on top of the drought and demand driven by wildfires on the west coast, farmers are still recovering from the great recession, now a decade behind us.

Miller adds, "It is from the recession and with all the big growers now, all the little growers quit growing cause they couldn't make a profit."

Carmon Chandler, whose family traditionally buys a Christmas tree the day after Thanksgiving says they've been buying locally for over twenty years. Their go-to spot is the Peak Farms vendor at the Piedmont Triad Farmers Market. "They just have beautiful trees, they're not dried out, they're protected under this shelter and not out in the elements."

According to the National Christmas Tree Association, over 27 million real trees were sold in 2016.

For those planning on getting a real tree this year, tree farmers advise you to buy them sooner than later.