The Northeast droughts didn't just lead to wildfires, but it also impacted Christmas tree farms as well. Ali Reid reports from Mansfield Township, New Jersey, about the impact to the holiday season.
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00:00For Christmas tree growers across the Northeast,
00:02the ongoing drought has made growing
00:04those holiday favorites a bit more
00:05challenging. It may not impact
00:07shoppers this season,
00:08but it certainly could have
00:09impacts years to come,
00:10and it could mean it.
00:12Fewer trees, higher prices.
00:13Our own alley read is live from Mansfield.
00:15Christmas tree farm with more on what
00:17farmers have faced this year alley.
00:24Hi ladies, few things to note.
00:26First of all, the sun.
00:27Where was that yesterday for Thanksgiving,
00:29but at least we're getting it today.
00:31The perfect day for those families
00:32that want to come out and get
00:34a Christmas tree. By the way,
00:35this is typically one of the busiest
00:37days for families that do want
00:39to come and get that.
00:40So I figured this would be the
00:41perfect time to talk about this.
00:43A lot of people in Jersey,
00:44Pennsylvania, New York.
00:45We're sitting around scratching their heads.
00:46Is this drought going to affect
00:48Christmas tree shopping this year?
00:50The positive if you're looking
00:51for a tree this year,
00:52you have nothing to worry about.
00:54You can breathe a sigh of relief now
00:56here at Mansfield Christmas tree farm.
00:58This is where I'm live this morning.
01:00They have been incredibly proactive because
01:02of this situation across the state.
01:04They actually only lost less
01:05than 1% of its trees.
01:07They're crediting rain earlier in
01:09the season and moisture retaining
01:10soil for helping their trees survive.
01:12But as we learned,
01:14the situation across the region
01:15paints a much drier,
01:17more uncertain future for Christmas
01:18tree growers on some farms.
01:20Unlike this one,
01:21the situation has been devastating, right?
01:23High percentages of young seedlings
01:25failed to survive this drought.
01:27Failed to survive this growing
01:28season at certain locations.
01:30Without enough water,
01:31small trees simply can't develop the
01:33strong roots they need to grow into
01:35the holiday staples will see years from now.
01:37Again for shoppers this year,
01:39there's no need to worry.
01:40The mature trees ready for sale were
01:43planted well before these dry conditions.
01:45Set in.
01:47Our trees that are sellable this year.
01:49They've never looked better,
01:50so we're really excited for this season.
01:53We can't control Mother Nature.
01:55It is something that all
01:57farmers go up against,
01:58so it's always helpful to
01:59support your local farmers.
02:00We plan them early to get all that spring.
02:03Water and then we actually
02:04pot about 100 every year,
02:06and that way if we have some losses
02:08the following spring we can replant
02:09and they'll be the size that
02:11they would have been anyway.
02:12So we kind of hedge our bet that way as well.
02:19Christmas trees take 6 to 8
02:20years to grow to full size,
02:22meaning the gaps created by this year's
02:23drought won't actually be felt until
02:25the late 2030s when those years arrive.
02:27Fewer available trees could lead to
02:29increased demand and higher prices
02:30across the Northeast, but again,
02:32that's really going to come down
02:34to region by region, even farm by farm.
02:36I mentioned here Mansfield Christmas tree farm.
02:38They are doing just fine and by the way,
02:41they actually just open up their gate.
02:43They're going to be allowing families
02:44in to start cutting down their
02:46Christmas trees this year.
02:48Guys, it's going to be an
02:49exciting couple of days ahead.
02:51We could finally move past
02:52Thanksgiving. Christmas is on the horizon.