Christmas tree farms in Lancaster County open for business as long-term drought impacts loom
Christmas comes once a year, but it takes seven years for a young tree to reach maturity. This year will see local buyers facing slightly higher costs and some supply limits, but growers expect the full impact of this spring’s drought to hit their 2030 crop.
Growers continue to contend with rising labor costs and fluctuating prices for key supplies like fertilizer and diesel, yet industry veterans said they expect farmers to pass on fewer of those costs to consumers.
Gary Thomas, who sits on the board of the Pennsylvania Christmas Tree Growers Association, estimated that consumers would see price increases of 4% to 5% compared to last year. That’s a drop from the 10% year-to-year price increases seen last holiday season.
Christmas Tree Sales
The National Christmas Tree Association surveys consumers each January. Data from their 2,000-person sample is used to project nationwide sales. For 2022, the association projected nationwide purchases of natural Christmas trees at 22.34 million. Surveyed buyers reported a median price of $80.
NCTA survey results for where natural Christmas trees were purchased:
Local vendors who sell pre-cut trees are seeing cost increases in their supply chain, Thomas said. North Carolina and central Pennsylvania farms are important sources of pre-cut trees, and Thomas said price rises of a few dollars per tree will add up as truckers look to carry full freight loads and fuel costs remain high.
A spike in demand for Christmas trees during the pandemic is still affecting supply. In an attempt to meet that demand, some farmers sold trees they might have otherwise left in the ground longer, leaving them with a current stock that features fewer large trees, Thomas said.
Those in the market for a large 10- to 12-foot tree might need to do more shopping around than normal, Thomas said, adding that those looking for a 7- to 8-foot tree should have an easier search.
“I would highly recommend to shop early,” Thomas said, predicting that 90% of farms could sell out by the second week of December.
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Choose-and-cut farms sell more than just trees - for many customers, visiting the farm is an annual ritual.
On a few days this season, Miller’s Christmas Tree Farm - located at 470 Trail Road North in Mount Joy Township - is adding food trucks, including Noel’s Cafe, which will sell hot drinks on Black Friday and the following Saturday.
Owner Susan Miller said the farm is holding prices steady this year after last year’s rise. The trees at Miller’s are priced by the foot, ranging from $13.50 for a Douglas fir to $17.50 for Fraser fir, Blue Spruce or Canaan.
Miller is one of many Christmas tree growers in the state - the Pennsylvania Christmas Tree Growers Association counts 1,400 farms statewide, covering nearly 31,000 acres and producing about 1 million cut trees annually. The association ranks Pennsylvania third nationwide for its number of Christmas tree farms.
Pressures mount on growers
Thomas and fellow Pennsylvania Christmas Tree Growers Association member Mark Gruber have both been in the business of Christmas tree farming for 50 years, and they say changing weather patterns are stretching the ability of farmers to adapt.
Thomas lives in Lancaster County and farms his Christmas trees in Jarrettsville, Maryland. He does not irrigate his crop, and this spring’s drought led to a loss of 1,500 trees out of the 7,000 he planted.
Moisture is crucial for young trees developing spring-time buds, but irrigation is a luxury many Christmas tree farmers do not have.
Gruber, whose Christmas and apple tree farm lies in Landenberg, Chester County, said he’s lucky to have a pond on the property that allowed him to irrigate for two months using leftover equipment from when the farm grew grapes.
“Not many tree farmers would have that kind of equipment or the availability of water,” Gruber said.
During the Pennsylvania Christmas Tree Growers Association’s summer meeting this year, Gruber said it became clear that drought had affected all the growers in southeast Pennsylvania.
It takes three to five years for trees to establish a stable enough root system to withstand shocks like drought, so the next few spring seasons will be crucial as farmers forecast out to when their young trees will be ready for market.
“The worst part about it is you know it’s coming,” Gruber said, explaining that a difficult growing season like this spring’s spells trouble seven years down the line.
Too much moisture can be just as big a problem as too little moisture, and Gruber said it feels like the boom-and-bust cycle of droughts and heavy rains is intensifying.
“It’s a drought, and then we’re swamped,” Gruber said, “that’s sort of what it feels like some days.”
Young trees can’t thrive in sitting water, so Gruber said some growers are starting to plant at the top of mounds to provide space for water to run away in a heavy rain year.
But years like this one spark even more discussion about drought-resistant options, with farmers moving away from the popular but moisture-dependent Fraser firs and toward varieties that are more drought tolerant such as Canaan firs, Korean firs, Nordmann firs and Concolor (also known as white) firs.
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