Years of drought affecting California Christmas tree farms
12/15/2022 1:58:32 AM
CATEGORIES:
Agriculture
Business & Industry
Plants & Wildlife
Tourism & Recreation
AFFECTED AREAS:
Calaveras County, CA
Murphys, CA
West Point, CA
Start Date: 1/1/2022
- End Date: 12/31/2022
Just one Christmas tree farm in Calaveras County was open for business this season, selling the big trees that the area is known for as warm temperatures, drought and wildfires took a toll on other area tree farms. Rain and snowfall used to provide all of the moisture that newly planted trees needed, but these days far fewer seedlings survive on precipitation alone.
The dearth of rain has made it much harder for trees to grow, especially white fir and silvertip fir trees, which usually grow up to 1 foot per year but were now growing just 2 to 3 inches, according to a grower. He also noted that the dry trees cannot produce pitch, or sap that is used to repel pests.
Calaveras Enterprise (Calif.) , Dec. 8, 2022
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