From NOAA/NCEI and the BAH HUMBUG you climate zealots!, department.
How Weather and Climate Change Affects Christmas Tree Production
Courtesy of GettyImages
We have all heard that the month of December is “the most wonderful time of the year”, according to a familiar song. December is associated with generosity, kindness and is a time to gather with family and friends to celebrate the holidays.
As we prepare for this special time of year, there is one staple that many will have in their homes: a Christmas tree. Christmas trees are an important part of the holiday season and, while artificial trees are available for purchase, close to a quarter of the Christmas trees displayed in U.S. households are real ones.
To many, Christmas trees represent love; however, what most people do not know is that to grow a Christmas tree, it takes time and it is truly a labor of love.
About Christmas Trees
Christmas trees are conifers. Conifers are trees that produce cones which contain the tree’s seeds inside (Fig. 1). Conifers usually have needle-like leaves and most of them are evergreen, which means that they keep their needles all year. Most conifers are found in the wild and, years ago, families would often get their Christmas trees from their backyard or the nearest forest. Now, conifers that will be used as Christmas trees are often grown on farms across all states, including Hawaii, according to the National Christmas Tree Association.
The two top Christmas tree producing states are Oregon and North Carolina, respectively. Oregon produces over 4.7 million trees each year, which is about 33% of all Christmas trees produced across the U.S. Meanwhile, North Carolina is not too far behind, producing close to 4 million trees annually.
While there are over 600 conifer species, the most popular one used as a Christmas tree is the Fraser Fir (Fig. 2), followed by the Douglas Fir, and the Noble Fir. The Noble Fir and Douglas Fir are Oregon’s most produced Christmas trees, while North Carolina predominantly grows Fraser Fir trees.
Unlike typical crops, where a seed is planted and a crop is harvested in just a few months, Christmas trees take years to grow. Each spring, Christmas tree farmers plant seedlings, typically planting 1 to 3 seedlings for every tree they harvested the previous autumn. However, the trees are slow growing and take 6-12 years to reach maturity, which tends to occur when they are between 6-8 feet tall. Farmers will usually harvest the trees by early to mid-November and are available for purchase by Thanksgiving.
Extreme Weather Events Impact Christmas Tree Production
Like any other crop, Christmas trees are vulnerable to extreme weather conditions. Extreme heat and prolonged periods of little to no rain (also known as drought) can cause stress to the trees, making them more prone to attract insects and diseases. It can also cause the browning and loss of needles, stunt the tree’s growth, and increase the risk of the tree dying. Extreme rainfall can cause fields to flood, and this could result in the rotting of roots. Extreme cold could lead to frost damage, drying out any buds or shoots that the tree might have. While these extreme events can affect any Christmas tree, the young seedlings are usually the most vulnerable. Below are two examples of extreme weather events that impacted the Oregon and North Carolina Christmas trees industry, respectively.
Extreme heat and drought: During summer 2021, a strong and persistent high pressure system was set over the Western U.S. During mid-June to mid-July, extreme daily heat records were set across the region. This resulted in several monthly and seasonal records for the state of Oregon, including warmest July on record and warmest summer on record (Fig. 3).
The extreme heat also worsened the drought conditions in the area. By August 3, 2021, much of the West, including Oregon, was under severe to exceptional drought conditions (Fig. 4).
Agriculture was severely impacted during this time. Christmas trees were also affected; however, the degree of damage varied from location to location and by tree species, with the Fraser Firs sustaining the most damage, according to reports. The Oregon State University stated that the persistent extreme temperatures and very dry conditions were responsible for killing over 70% of the Christmas tree seedlings that were planted that year and completely drying out the needles of more mature trees. Farmers assessed the damages and tried to salvage as many trees as possible by trimming off the burned needles of the mature trees. In addition to causing financial damage to the farmers due to the loss of the seedlings, the main impact of the event that year might have affected the quality of the surviving trees and might have caused a slight increase in their prices.
Hurricane Helene: Another significant weather event that affected the Christmas tree industry, especially in North Carolina, took place in late September 2024. Hurricane Helene, in combination with a predecessor rain event, brought historic rainfall amounts that caused catastrophic flooding and deadly landslides to western North Carolina and parts of Georgia, South Carolina, and Tennessee (Fig. 5).
Most of the Christmas trees in North Carolina are planted on slopes, which protected them from the devastating floods. However, thousands of Christmas trees were lost due to landslides and other Hurricane-related events. Helene caused approximately $125 million in losses of ornamental nurseries and Christmas trees. This also includes the money and time spent growing those trees. There was also extensive damage to infrastructure and roads, limiting the access to and from the farms at the time. Christmas tree growers spent additional money to fix their infrastructure in time for the harvest season. Through their efforts and those of the North Carolina Department of Transportation, harvest season was not impacted since access to the farms was no longer an issue.
How Climate Change Impacts Christmas Trees
The Earth’s climate is warmer and, while the overall global temperature increase might seem small, this change can lead to big changes in extreme weather events, which will affect many aspects of our lives. According to the Fifth National Climate Assessment, the U.S. is already experiencing warmer temperatures and longer-lasting heat waves, and heavy precipitation, drought, flooding, wildfires, and hurricanes are occurring more frequently and/or more severely. While extreme cold events can still occur, they are becoming less frequent and intense across the nation.
A warmer climate will affect the production of Christmas trees through changes in the frequency and intensity of extreme weather events, the shifting of growing zones, and increasing the risk and prevalence of pests and disease.
Shifting growing zones: While this might not be a current concern, farmers might have to consider relocating their farms further north or higher in elevation to areas that have the ideal cool climate that is the most beneficial for the specific conifer species they want to grow as the climate changes to a warmer one.
Pests: The warmer winters and longer growing season is leading to an increase in the prevalence of pests — such as aphids, mites, and adelgids — in Christmas trees. While weather conditions can fluctuate from year to year, the United States, in general, is experiencing less extreme cold temperatures that would normally kill off most pests during winter. This allows for a larger number of pests to stay alive and continue growing in numbers. Most pests, such as aphids and mites, affect the quality of the trees by causing cosmetic damages, which can impact the number of trees that are sold. However, the Balsam Woolly Adelgid (BWA) has the ability to kill Christmas trees, in particular Fraser Firs. It has been reported that the BWA has killed about 95% of Fraser Firs found in nature across North Carolina. While the BWA has natural predators, they aren’t able to significantly control the infestation on their own. That is why Christmas tree growers have implemented integrated pest management strategies to help prevent and eliminate pests in an environmentally friendly way. This strategy uses minimal pesticides and targets the different insect lifecycles.
Disease: Phytophthora root rot (PRR) is one of the many diseases that can affect Christmas trees and it is one of the Christmas tree growers main concerns. PRR is caused by an oomycete (also known as water mold), which is an organism that resembles a fungus. It usually occurs when the area that the tree is located is extremely wet and there isn’t proper drainage. This disease affects the roots of the trees, weakening it and eventually killing it in a short period of time. Other symptoms can include the browning and loss of its needles and wilted new growth. Additional information on other types of diseases can be found in the NC State Extension page.
The Future of Christmas Trees
The Earth’s climate is changing to a warmer one. And like most of society and the environment, Christmas trees are not adapting fast enough to these changes. While climate change is a growing concern in the production of Christmas trees, scientists at the North Carolina State University are conducting research to better understand Christmas trees‘ (specifically Fraser Firs) natural defense mechanisms and their ability to endure stress and become more resilient in order to survive. With this information, scientists are hoping to help the industry by producing Christmas trees that are able to acclimate and be more resilient to the threats of climate change. Think of it as a “top-notch” Christmas tree. Not only are they hoping to create the perfect Christmas trees that can withstand extreme weather events, they are also researching ways to improve the scent of the Christmas tree, and develop a tree that matures much faster (e.g. six years instead of 10) and has better needle-retention.
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“Not only are they hoping to create the perfect Christmas trees…..”
Blah, blah, blah— remember the golden fleece awards?
Hopefully they will examine the carbon footprint of crucifixion with the same rigor, so as to leave the “deniers” alone.
The WUWT hoaxsters and shills have certainly ramped up their “denier” screams of late.
Delusion (seeing ‘climate change’ nee ‘globull warming’ everywhere and in everything) is more than just a river in Egypt, KarlKaput.
The rational-minded would also ask “How is it a hoax?” when we are inspecting the ‘act and actions’ of a mad-crowd continually insisting doom and gloom is just around the corner, and those doom and gloom predictions have been made for over 30 yrs now and CONTINUE to fail in their efficacy and fall short of their making an appearance, so, just who is it that is trying to ‘pull a hoax’, KarlKaput?
You’re misunderstanding karlomonte
He’s a good guy. Just didn’t make himself clear that he was referring to the Simons and Rusty Nails of WUWT when talking about WUWT hoaxsters.
Oh, well, I don’t want any ‘friendly fire’ events taking place …
Must have been too early in the AM for me!
Duh.
Ah well, should have been “AGW hoaxsters and shills who inhabit WUWT”.
And none can explain what we “deny”, with evidence.
I deny the existence of Goldilocks, the Big Bad Wolf, and Cinderella.
It is a sign of desperation.
How come it only affects the Christmas trees and not the others?
Apparently NOAA has been spending too much time in front of their computers, gazing at models. Perhaps they should go at and look at the weather for a change! Happy New Year to all!
It’s absurd. 2021 data showing California in drought.
Typical concern trolling by the Climastrologers.
If it was the 6′ tall female models- I don’t blame them! 🙂
Asking the forest-guy…
How do you tell if 6ft a pine tree is male or female ? 😉
I never gave it much thought- but just googled about male and female pines – got the following. The implication is you have to wait until they start pollinating which I presume won’t be for a few decades- so can’t tell when Xmass tree size. This season was the best I’ve ever seen for pine cones- after 50 years as a forester. (About 2-3 years ago the pollen was so thick in the air – you’d see clouds of it that looked like a sandstorm.) The branches were so loaded they were bent and looked like they’d break. I’d have to blame this super abundance on the dreaded climate change! Not sure about spruce and other conifers.
Much simpler than humans who apparently have 42 genders ! 😉
And counting
re: “Can you believe it? NOAA/NCEI tells us Christmas trees are a thing of the past,”
.
Okay, call me biased, but my mind read that second part as “NOAA incels tells us …:”
Looks like a ripe target for DOGE ….
😉
Not interesting, I am busy today cleaning up after Christmas holiday.
First there is no more snow. Then there will be no more Christmas trees. Followed by banning flying reindeer because their farts create too much methane in the troposphere. In the end there will be no more Santa Claus. A Marxist dream come true.
“You must eat ze bugz!”
Bah, Humbug
According to the Marxist, government is the new Santa Clause. It will provide you with everything you want.
Free stuff, but only for the folks with the correct thoughts.
“ and take 6-12 years to reach maturity, which tends to occur when they are between 6-8 feet tall.”
Many are harvested at 6-8 feet tall. Maturity is quite another thing. This is just sloppy lazy writing.
The Douglas fir can live for over 500 years, with some specimens reaching ages of up to 1,300 years. This longevity makes it one of the longest-living tree species. I have one that I planted 30 years ago. Mostly I have Ponderosa Pine – about 50. Ponderosa pines can live for over 300 years, with some individuals reaching ages of 500 years or more under optimal conditions. My largest is about 10 feet in diameter. Age? Who knows?
That’s a big pondo!
I’ve one Jeffery (Geoff) that’s about 24″ diameter. And 6 more babies.
Cut it down and count the rings. (Not really.)
You could take a core sample ( dendrochronology ),
Or you could ask Michael Mann, he has experience of doing it on one tree !!
The Forest Service burns thousand of acres every year much of which
is due to “conifer encroachment” . Climate Change my eye.
Another agency target paints itself.
Heh. “Cut here! Cut here!“
Written by an A.I.? A great deal of the text in this piece reads as if it were constructed by an A.I. LLM/ChatBot.
What’d’ya think?
Considering that it has 2021 drought maps and no clue about current drought conditions that sounds very probable.
Yeah, I was wondering who was the author of this passage:
“The Earth’s climate is warmer and, while the overall global temperature increase might seem small, this change can lead to big changes in extreme weather events, which will affect many aspects of our lives. According to the Fifth National Climate Assessment, the U.S. is already experiencing warmer temperatures and longer-lasting heat waves, and heavy precipitation, drought, flooding, wildfires, and hurricanes are occurring more frequently and/or more severely. While extreme cold events can still occur, they are becoming less frequent and intense across the nation.
A warmer climate will affect the production of Christmas trees through changes in the frequency and intensity of extreme weather events, the shifting of growing zones, and increasing the risk and prevalence of pests and disease.”
Anthony is the author of this article, but I don’t think he is the author of the passage above.
Last week while watching AlanJ go on and on and on and on and on some of us were wondering if he was being augmented by a chat bot.
This should be past tense. The warming started anywhere from 200-500 years in the past depending on what proxy we examine. Since the Little Ice Age is viewed as a negative for humanity, it would seem a “warmer one” is a good thing.
We are likely near the peak of warming now and could see cooling for many decades to come. The effects of Hunga-Tonga are fading and the AMO warm phase will have reach 30 years in 2025. It could change to its cool phase at any time.
This means we could see a cooling of nearly .5 – 1 C from the 2024 global average within 5 years. I wonder how the climate cult will try to explain it.
The Climate Cult would switch over to the Human-caused Global Cooling scam.
Back in the 1970’s, Climate Alarmists were claiming humans were causing the climate to cool by burning coal, and then when the warming of the 1980’s became clear, the Climate Alarmists switched over to claiming humans were causing the climate to warm by burning coal.
I expect something like that to happen.
Or we’ll get a Michael Mann response, where he claims that even a few decades of cooling does not refute Human-caused Global Warming.
I have always found it to be bizarre that people grow trees for the sole purpose of cutting them own, displaying them at home for a few weeks and then throwing them in the garbage. Artificial trees look good these days as an alterative.
A real tree will cost at least $75 and can last up to four weeks. A fake tree will cost at least twice as much but could be used for 10 to 20 years. Most fake trees do cost more than $150, and are only used for 5 to 10 years.
An alterative that we used for decades was an indoor Norfolk Pine tree that could be purchased for about $100, and will last until it gets too tall for your room. Norfolk Island pines (Araucaria heterophylla) grow slowly indoors, adding 3–6 inches in height per year. They can reach heights of 6–8 feet but can grow taller if given the space.
From a climate point of view: Trees absorb but do not don’t permanently store carbon dioxide. When a tree dies, rots, or burns, the carbon it absorbed is released back into the atmosphere. However, new trees will absorb a similar amount of carbon, making trees carbon neutral in the long run.
Plastic trees add CO2 to the atmosphere if you care about CO2:
PVC plastic is primarily made from oil and gas, specifically using ethylene (a hydrocarbon derived from petroleum) as a key component in its production process; essentially, it’s a combination of oil-derived ethylene and chlorine (from salt) that makes up PVC
NOAA should focus on more important issues, such as methane pollution caused by eating baked beans. It is obvious the sale and human consumption of baked beans should be illegal, if we are to save the world from climate change.
The British have developed a baking bean that produces less methane than the normal baking bean. Their technologists are saving the world.
The proof of the pudding is in the eating. Do these technologists actually eat what they have developed?
Curious minds want to know.
A modern-day Pythagoras.
Story tip:
Women cause climate change:
https://thespectator.com/life/ginger-rogers-theory-of-information/
That link is paywalled
This related link is not:
The Ginger Rogers Theory of Information – The Daily Sceptic
Without my “guidance” the wife would always have the house too warm and would never tur off a light after she leaves a room.
> like most of society and the environment, Christmas trees are not adapting fast enough to these changes.
Cite? Evidence?
Christmas trees are 6-15 years in the making. Future product is constantly being optimized through seed selection, hybridization, farm siting and most likely GM techniques.
Readers here don’t need to hear the repeated refutations of those other whacky claims.
Pine and fir trees range from northern Mexico to the tree line in northern Canada.
I’d be very surprised if another half a degree of warming is going to stress them any.
100% The claim is complete nonsense. I have spruce trees from northern Japan / Russia doing well in my warm temperate garden in Australia. All they need is water.
to grow a Christmas tree, it takes time and it is truly a labor of love
Sure, all those commercial Christmas tree farmers are doing it for the love. Another in a long line of appeals to emotion to override the readers’ critical thinking ability. It’s the modus operandi of all leftists. Appeal to base emotions to work people up into a fit so they don’t critically analyze their ridiculous claims and policies.
I’ll say it again. The best thing that could happen to the NOAA is for Trump to fire everyone with a PhD, or a degree in anything other than a hard science, stop funding studies of any kind, and hire a bunch of engineers to install and maintain monitoring equipment to monitor the oceans and atmosphere and make the data publicly available for others to digest. Get rid of the politics, the leftist biases, and the people the NOAA has self-selected to promote a leftist agenda. Their mandate should be monitoring and providing data. Period.
The National Weather Service under the NOAA should be re-oriented to data collection only, and the data they collect provided to others who are far better at using it to make weather predictions. Google recently demonstrated that their AI-generated forecast was much more accurate than the ones from the expensive supercomputers at NWS.
This cannot be true. I have it on good authority that the only factor that affects tree growth, and the subsequent ring thickness, is temperature.
Michael ‘hide the decline’ Mann said so!
The whales are saved and getting around so go home Rainbow Warriors-
Humpback Whale’s Record-Breaking Migration Astonishes Researchers
The journey shattered the previous record of 10,000 kilometers. Scientists believe the whale likely traveled even farther, possibly visiting Antarctic feeding grounds before reaching the southwestern Indian Ocean.
Researchers are still piecing together the puzzle. One possibility is that the whale, likely a male, was searching for a mate. Another theory links the journey to climate change, which may have disrupted krill populations in feeding areas.
“While the exact cause is unclear, factors like environmental extremes or evolutionary behavior could explain this journey,”
Lots of whales come back because crude oil replaces the need for whale oil so naturally with all those massive krill vacuum cleaners they’re going to come into balance with krill numbers and we’re going to have more weak and starving whales washing up on beaches but it will all get blamed on the dooming.
6-12 years? After 3 years they are about 6-7ft. Very few people (except hotels) want a tree any larger as they are difficult to dress and grandpa might fall off the step ladder trying to put the star on top.
If NOAA thinks this is the best use of their money then they have too much money. NOAA’s budget must be cut drastically. They didn’t say anything that you couldn’t hear from any farmer/rancher or anyone else making their living subject to the vagaries of weather. It has been happening for thousands of years there is nothing new here. NOAA is disgusting.
Crap.
Crap.
Crap
Crap.
What does that have to do with climate?
Climate change … flip the coin…. drought or excessive rain. Pick which supports you ideology at the moment.