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Christmas tree seedlings hit hard by drought
Trees for Christmas present are in plentiful supply. But, because of this summer's severe drought, tree farmers say the picture may not be as merry for Christmases to come."Seedlings took a beating," said Jeff Holt, whose family owns Joe's Trees in the Chantilly section of Loudoun County. "We lost 70 to 80 percent this year."
Of his farm having fewer trees to sell several years from now, Holt said: "That's a possibility."
Farmers throughout Loudoun who grow trees suitable for hanging icicles and ornaments on -- Douglas firs, spruces and Scotch and white pines -- say trees now ready for cutting were affected little by the drought, apart from feeling lighter because they are retaining less water.
"Mature trees are fine," said Steven Wolff, owner of Snickers Gap Christmas Tree Farm in Round Hill. "The problem is with seedlings. We planted 7,000 seedlings in April, and we probably lost half of those."
Last year, Loudoun farmers sold $850,000 worth of Christmas trees, wreaths and garlands, estimate officials in Loudoun's Office of Rural Economic Development, which lists 18 tree growers in Loudoun. Statewide, Christmas trees and garlands are a $50 million annual industry in Virginia, which ranks eighth in the country in the number of trees harvested each year, according to the National Christmas Tree Association.
Over the summer, hot and dry conditions scorched fields and devastated local crop production. Hit hardest were hay growers. In August, the Board of Supervisors voted to have Loudoun declared a drought disaster area, making farmers eligible for federal low-interest loans.
Though rain has been plentiful of late, according to the National Weather Service, the rain total for this point in the year is still about 13 inches below normal in parts of Loudoun.
"You might not see the effects of this drought for five to seven years when trees might start dropping cones," said Melissa Piper Nelson, the county's agriculture marketing manager.
Echoing other farmers, Tim Opeka, one of the owners of Milltown Creek Tree Farm in Lovettsville, said he'll have to plant extra trees in the spring to make up for losing "hundreds" of seedlings over the summer.
"But we still need the rain," he said. "We'll see how it goes."
At the 1,000-acre Ticonderoga Farms in southeast Loudoun last week, business was brisk one week into the post-Thanksgiving tree-buying rush, said manager Doug Johnston.
At Ticonderoga, like other farms, the drought wreaked havoc on trees planted this year. But the story was different for those conifers to be adorned and lighted this Christmas season.
"They're selling pretty well," Johnston said. "I've had no complaints of falling needles."
Contact the reporter at jjacks@timespapers.com
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