HAMDEN, Conn. — There are more than 400 Christmas tree farms in Connecticut.
Farmers said this summer’s drought, and extreme changes in weather year to year are making growing more challenging.
It takes about seven to eight years for a Christmas tree to grow to the average height people tend to pick the most, around eight feet.
Believe it or not, the effect of this year’s drought won’t be felt for several years. But another drought years ago affected what you’ll find on the farms this year.
There's a shortage of trees around eight feet this year, because of a severe drought the state experienced in 2016. It's possible in seven or eight years, we feel the impact of this year's drought, with a shortage of grown trees then.
"We didn't lose many larger trees, established trees, but there's a couple that don't look too good," Dick Jaynes of Broken Arrow Nursery in Hamden told FOX61, looking over the farm this fall.
This year, the summer's severe drought put a strain on new seedlings and young trees.
Each spring, about three thousand new trees are planted on their family farm. Their roots aren't very deep, only about six inches, so weeks of dry weather will starve them of moisture.
Some farms, especially in eastern Connecticut, lost more than half of their seedlings because of the summer drought.
But even in northwestern Connecticut, Lisa Angevine-Bergs said they were impacted in a big way, losing about 60% of their seedlings.
"A lot of the growers right now are researching irrigation, because we lost so many seedlings in the summer. We have to figure out a way to water them on a weekly basis in order for them to survive. Keep in mind their roots are only six inches long. Once they dry out, they are done," Angevine-Bergs, Executive Director of the Connecticut Christmas Tree Growers Association said.
The association has 225 members across the state. Growers, battling changing conditions year to year, believe they are experiencing our changing climate firsthand.
The summer of 2021 brought too much rain, while the summer of 2022 brought too little.
"Speak to any farmer, not only in Connecticut, in the nation, up to Canada. Everyone's saying the same thing. These temperatures are getting warmer, it's more extreme, and it's getting very challenging to be a producer," Angevine-Bergs said.
In addition to weather-related issues, the growing bear and deer population in the state is being felt on the farms, as deer scrape their antlers on the trees, and bears scratch their backs on them, in some cases tipping them over.
If you're looking to pick your own tree this year, check out this list of local farms on the Connecticut Chrismas Tree Growers Association Website.
Ryan Breton is a meteorologist at FOX61 News. He can be reached at rbreton@fox61.com. Follow him on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.
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