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.
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