From the December 15, 1907 NYT:

It is not an unmixed evil that the supply of Christmas trees in the New York markets is short this year. It means that the woodsmen in Maine and New Hampshire, anticipating a bad market, have not played so great havoc as usual in the forests. There is an enormous destruction of trees annually for Christmas decoration, and it is well to have some idea of the extent of that destruction fixed in the public mind.

Christmas greens for wreaths and festoons can be supplied without destroying the forests. The Christmas tree business has been sadly overdone and it must soon be checked. If only those trees were cut which are used to delight children who cherish the Santa Claus idea there would be much less danger of denuding the forests. But thousands of trees are wasted every year for decorative purposes. We could do without them.

New York is said to lack about 65,000 of its usual number of trees this season. Probably they will not be badly missed.