A seedling shortage a decade ago has left some Oregon Christmas tree farmers with no trees to sell this year, and back-to-back hot summers in recent years have left others looking for ways to adapt to a changing climate.

Cher Tollefson, co-owner of Historic Kirchem Tree Farm outside of Oregon City, said her fields will be closed this season for the first time in 27 years.

“We just don’t have the trees,” she said. “We have 2,000 that will be ready next year, but they are not up to size. They are not up to our standards.”

Christmas trees take between seven and 11 years to mature and, just about a decade ago, seedling suppliers grew too few small trees to go around, according to Chal Landgren, a Christmas tree specialist at Oregon State University.

“It became harder to get them,” he said. “Nurseries didn't want to grow on speculation.”

Now, 10 years later, that short supply of seedlings has left fields full of trees that are too short to sell, according to Tollefson.

Then in 2017 and 2018, the Pacific Northwest sweated through two hot and dry summers in a row. Those conditions can be particularly hard on young trees, Landgren said. Christmas trees aren’t irrigated, they are “watered by God,” as Tollefson said, and young trees are especially susceptible to heat stress.

She said the 110-acre farm lost a “high percentage” of its seedlings. Once trees are established, they stand a better chance of withstanding high temperatures.

The hot summers of late had no effect on this year’s crop, but they have left Christmas tree farmers looking for ways to cope with longer and warmer dry seasons.

With climate change expected to increase the frequency of hot and dry summers, some farmers have begun looking for ways to adapt. Growers are looking at new mulching strategies that retain more moisture, erecting shade structures and planting different species of trees that are more heat tolerant.

Others are diversifying their crops, opting to grow products with shorter rotations, like grass seed or hazelnuts. Tollefson set aside a few acres this year and hosted a pumpkin patch around Halloween, complete with games for kids, food carts and beer for adults. That supplemental business won’t come close to making up for the lost tree business, however.

“It’s not a fun time to be in the business,” she said. “In an average year we’ll take in $30,000 to $50,000. This year is a big zero.”

Landgren said that, despite some farms facing trouble this year, others were forced to close for last season for similar reasons and should have a decent crop. He said Oregon typically produces about 4.2 million Christmas trees annually and looks to be on track to get close to that number this year.

With some growers sidelined, Landgren cautioned that others could be tempted to raise prices.

“In general prices may go up,” he said. “But if you talk to growers, we’re about right in terms of supply.”

-- Kale Williams

kwilliams@oregonian.com

503-294-4048

@sfkale

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