Drought conditions hold a mixed bag for fir tree success
By Scott Nicholson
nicholson@wataugademocrat.com

With wholesale fir-tree harvesting already underway, growers are reaping the benefits of a dry year, but the current crop of seedlings could be damaged if the drought continues.

Linda Gragg, executive director of the Boone-based North Carolina Christmas Tree Association, said a few wholesalers had begun filling orders for major retail outlets, though most would begin cutting in the next week or two. The current crop is healthy, though growth was minimized by a lack of rain this year.

“Several growers maintain that the trees did not put on as much growth this year,” Gragg said. “However, they weren’t hurt by the drought and the trees are just as pretty as ever.”

Jeffrey H. Owen, Christmas tree specialist with N.C. State University, said consumers could look forward to a healthy bumper crop for their seasonal greenery. “In the course of visiting farms across the mountain region, I have observed excellent dark-green color and foliage quality in a majority of fields,” he said in a report.

“Many farms have a more natural appearance to their trees since growers had less of the excessively long, wild growth that always has to be trimmed off in wet years. With the addition of as much as six inches of rain and freezing temperatures in late October, trees entered harvest season with a full complement of water and enough cold to set the needles.”

Owen said growers prepared for tree storage by building shady areas, either “cloth houses” or stands of white pines, to shield their trees from the drying effects of direct sunlight. Mulching and watering after harvest also help keep trees healthy even with seven weeks left before Christmas. The Fraser fir, the species most popular among both growers and consumers in the mountains, is well known for its hardiness and its ability to retain its needles and color throughout the winter, even if cut.

However, Owen warned that growers could see a dip in productivity seven years from now, when this year’s crop of seedlings would be ready for market under normal conditions.

“With poorly established root systems, young trees cannot reach remaining soil moisture that lays deep underground during a drought,” Owen said. “Many farmers lost 20 to 40 percent of their total 2007 plantings.”

Most trees planted in April or May died due to the drought and Owen predicted a possible shortage in the next decade, following an era in which growers have seen their products increase in demand. “Even those small plantings that survived the drought of 2007 will grow more slowly as they recover from transplant shock and root injury,” Owen said.

Gragg acknowledged that younger trees didn’t fare as well and those without established root systems often died, leaving stretches of brown seedlings in some fields.

Tree prices could go up slightly based on rising fuel costs, a trend that started several years ago. Wholesale trees are netting between $20 and $25 for the typical six-to-seven-footer, while retail prices average around $40.

“Growers told me they’ve sold as many trees as they wanted for this year,” Gragg said. “The market’s looking real good.”

Signs also point to another booming year of choose-and-cut sales, as requests for the association’s catalogs have increased. The office recently received requests for catalogs from places as far-flung as Alabama, Florida and Kentucky.

“It’s going to be as strong as last year if not stronger,” Gragg said. “A few growers are not selling any trees this year so they can groom the ones they have, but we’ve mailed a lot of choose-and-cut books.”

Gragg will be representing the tree association at the Southern Christmas Show in Charlotte over the next 12 days, saying the thrust of promotion will be espousing the advantages of live trees over artificial trees.