The dramatic fall of the Canadian dollar is not helping some of New Brunswick's export-based companies as much as its equally dramatic rise hurt them last year.

Martha Bell of Bell's Woodlots in Stickney, N.B., had trouble adjusting to the soaring loonie that hit par last year, which squeezed the wreath-making company. Bell said the plummeting value of the Canadian dollar this year is offering her business some "breathing room" compared with 2007, but her company isn't out of the financial woods just yet.

"This year I am not completely sold out," Bell said. "For the first time in 22 years, the Americans are just not buying."

So far, the most noticeable change is coming from the big wholesalers and not individuals. Bell said that these large U.S. wholesale companies are putting orders for 60 per cent of last year because they cannot afford to risk leaving any stock unsold at the end of the season.

"[The wholesalers] are the ones that are really feeling the credit crunch," she said.

Already Bell has lost two or three customers from last year, causing her wreath-making business to branch out into more domestic markets.

When Bell began making her price sheets for this season, she budgeted for the dollar to remain at par. That has given some added flexibility although she said some of her customers have complained about the change in the dollar.

On Friday, the Canadian dollar opened at 78.65 cents US, down 0.99 cents from Thursday's close.

Janette Desharnais, the executive director of INFOR Inc, a New Brunswick research centre for woodlot owners, Christmas tree growers and maple syrup producers, said many industry players are still optimistic for this year.

"The dollar is on a downward trend; they might get some new orders coming up," Desharnais said. "It is wait and see, it is a bit early."

After suffering such a difficult year in 2007, many Christmas tree growers and other producers spent the off-season looking at markets in Central and South America.

"All of [the producers] had a whole year to think about new markets and look at the new opportunities and take advantage of that," she said.