The Great Recession is having an unexpected impact on Christmas tree sales nearly a decade later

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The 95th annual National Christmas Tree Lighting at the White House Ellipse in Washington, D.C., November 30, 2017.

• Less trees planted and sold since the recession has contributed to an increase in prices for real trees.
• More consumers are choosing to buy fake Christmas trees, often manufactured in China, over more costly authentic trees.
• Christmas tree shortages across the US have already been reported.

The Great Recession is to blame for the growing prices of real Christmas trees, CNN reported Tuesday.

Christmas trees are usually cut down as they are sold, so when sales plummeted during the recession, there was less space to plant new trees.

And nearly ten years on, the trees that would be ready to cut down this year don't exist, leading to a rise in prices and decline in sales, according to CNN.

In 2016, consumers who bought real trees paid 5-10% more than in 2015. The trend looks set to hold in 2017 as well.

Instead, CNN reports many people are choosing fake trees, often imported from China, or skipping the Christmas tree tradition altogether.

Doug Hundley, seasonal spokesman for the National Christmas Association, told CNN the tight market will continue next year.

"We think it will be over in a couple more years," Hundley said.

Christmas tree shortages have already been reported across the US , especially in smaller selling lots like schools and churches.

Each year the National Christmas Tree Association surveys consumers on their Christmas tree purchases to pull together this sort of data.