ALBANY (AP) — Last summer, gardeners and landscapers looked long and hard for bark mulch, and paid a lot when they found it.

There is more in stock this year in the mid Willamette Valley, but overall, supplies remain tight.

“It’s not as bad as last year, but it is still not readily available,” said Tom Krupicka, owner of Tom’s Garden Center. “I just heard from our supplier that he’s out of hemlock.”

Krupicka said he still has some in stock but doesn’t know when or where to find more.

A year ago, retail hemlock bark prices jumped from $15 to $25 a yard. This year costs are up on all wood products. Hemlock is $35 a yard and fir is $30 a yard.

“Fuel costs have added some to the expense,” Krupicka said. “But the bark itself is still very hard to get. Suppliers just don’t have any. That’s the way it is with any wood product.”

At The Bark Place in both Albany and Corvallis the situation is similar, said manager Brad Wilson.

“A lot of factors are contributing to reduction in mulch,” said Wilson, who cited the housing slowdown and the fact more mulch is being used for electricity.

“We’re coping,” he said. “I anticipate we will be able to supply our customers through the season. I don’t think we’ll suffer any long-term outages.”

He said his company has been going to Washington to replenish supplies.

Krupicka said that with improving weather, customers will start searching harder for bark or more affordable alternatives.

He pointed to composts in general and mint-straw in particular becoming more popular. Krupicka also said filbert shells are increasingly being used as mulch.

Wilson said compost eventually may be the ground cover of choice because of cost and availability.

“People will adjust to what they can get,” he said.

Krupicka agreed. “I think people will look for ways to save. They will probably want a cheaper alternative or maybe put off buying any mulch at all for a year,” he said.