BETHLEHEM, Pa. — A few weeks ago, Roger Unangst started cutting branches.
He wanted to find out how the ongoing dry weather would impact the wreaths, swags and trees he’d cut for this holiday season.
“If you cut a branch off of a tree, that's going to dry out a lot faster than the whole tree will,” said Unangst, owner of Unangst Tree Farms in East Allen Township. “So, we were playing around, experimenting, if you will, by cutting branches and seeing how long the needle lasted on those.
“And, they're lasting just as long as normal.”
Even though his “experiments” are showing positive signs, Unangst said he’s concerned about the longevity of holiday trees this year due to the ongoing drought.
Persistently dry, windy weather has negatively impacted the region already, including thinning out the trees planted this year to grow for future holiday seasons.
When cut trees dry out, they can drop needles and even become a fire hazard. With Thanksgiving almost four weeks before Christmas, it might be wise to wait a bit to buy.
“The fact that we're opening a week closer to Christmas is going to help with that tree reaching Christmas.”Roger Unangst, owner of Unangst Tree Farms
"There's a week less this year than there was last year,” Unangst said. “The fact that we're opening a week closer to Christmas is going to help with that tree reaching Christmas.”
The Pennsylvania Association of Christmas Tree Growers has not issued any guidance or recommendations due to the drought, a spokesperson confirmed Wednesday.
Drought in the Lehigh Valley
An ongoing string of dry, windy weather has left the Lehigh Valley parched – the past three months are the second-driest on record.
Below average rainfall in September, and only trace amounts recorded in October, created a steep deficit, and November hasn’t seen much of an improvement.
On Nov. 1, the state Department of Environmental Protection issued a drought warning for both Lehigh and Northampton counties, as well as 31 other counties. That same day, The National Weather Service also declared a red flag warning for the area due to heightened fire risk.
The U.S. Drought Monitor has shown all of the Valley in either “moderate” or “severe” drought since Halloween.
The exceptionally dry conditions have fueled brush fires, including a fire on Blue Mountain that scorched nearly 600 acres, and even caused some wells to go dry.
While there has been some recent rain – a storm last week left nearly three-quarters of an inch of rain at Lehigh Valley International Airport – it hasn’t really made a dent in the deficit.
The region has only seen about 3.6 inches of rain since Sept. 1, according to the National Weather Service in Mount Holly, N.J. The normal is just shy of 12 inches, leaving the Valley in an almost 9-inch rain shortfall.
While mature trees seem to have lasted through the drought, younger ones didn’t fare as well.
“We plant them when they're 3 years old, and they’re about 14 or 15 inches tall,” Unangst said. “Those are the most susceptible, and we did lose quite a few of those.
“But, our mature trees survived. They have a deeper root system.”
Customers might not see the impact of this year’s drought on cut Christmas trees for another seven or eight years, when trees planted this season are expected to be harvested.
‘Make sure that tree’s watered’
Recent rain has been a boon for farmers, said Jeff Stoudt, owner of BJ’s Tree Farm in Plainfield Township.
“The drought our region experienced this year was the most serious drought in recent memory,” he said. “However, here at our farm in Wind Gap, and many other portions of our area, within the past eight days we have seen some relief from the drought with Mother Nature, providing more than 2 inches of rain.
“That rain is certainly going to be beneficial, as the trees standing in the fields are absorbing that moisture.”
Unangst has put off cutting trees as long as possible to avoid excessive drying.
“You can rehydrate a tree by putting a fresh cut on the bottom of the stump and getting it in water, and checking that water twice a day,” he said. “Because it will suck up a huge amount of water on the first day.
“Hypothetically, if the tree is 50% dehydrated, you can revive that tree. If the tree is 80% dehydrated, there's no bringing that tree back.”
All trees are going to have some brown needles on the inside of the tree that are going to fall off, but if the green needles are falling off, it's a tell-tale sign that the tree's dried out.
However, while not all tree farmers think the drought will have a significant impact on needle retention, it seems there’s a consensus that cut trees will need constant watering.
“So, you get a cut tree, make a fresh cut, put it in the stand, fill it with water and fill it twice a day.”Dick Palmer, owner of Palmer Christmas Tree Farm
“Our experience has shown that drought such as this didn't have much, if any, effect on needle retention, but they did tend to take a lot more water once they were put in the sand,” said Dick Palmer, owner of Palmer Christmas Tree Farm in Upper Mount Bethel Township, “So, you get a cut tree, make a fresh cut, put it in the stand, fill it with water and fill it twice a day.”
Similarly, Stoudt said he tells customers to get their tree home and in water within six hours of cutting it, and to be vigilant, checking the tree stand water bowl to ensure the tree always has water available.
“The thought is that trees will consume more water than normal this year,” Stoudt said.
Timing, caution and vigilance seem to be the themes this year when it comes to buying a cut Christmas tree.
“We've been doing this long enough that everything that leaves here, we want it to be the best quality possible,” Unangst said. “We just don't chase the money. We're just trying to inform our customers that this is what you want to do — you want to make sure that tree’s watered. Or, you might want to really consider waiting.
“If you normally get your tree the first weekend in December, maybe wait, and if you normally get your tree the second weekend, which is just as busy as the first, just you might want to push it back three, four or five days, just to be on the cautionary side.”
