To many, the holidays wouldn't be the same without going out to the farm and cutting down a Christmas tree, then standing it up in your home and getting whiffs of pine for weeks to come. But since dry weather and droughts have ravaged the country this past year, it might cost way more than usual to buy these trees in upcoming seasons.
"This year's drought will have a long-lasting effect," a farmer from Alabama named Roger Schwerman told The Huffington Post. "It might drive many farms out of the tree business." But why? Well, the biggest problem is seedlings and young trees can't survive in dry conditions. In fact, Massachusetts saw a 100% failure rate for growing tree seedings this year and other states saw similar numbers.
Since most trees aren't sold until their eight to 10 years old, you'll likely be fine — for now. "I wouldn't say it's affected the crop this year, but the next year or two you'll see a shortage in the trees, because the amount of water and the weather depends on how much the tree grows," one grower told WWAY-TV. That means, there might be huge spikes in prices for trees in the upcoming seasons.
Oh, and did we mention for those of you lucky enough to get one, it'll probably be smaller than usual? That's because during this past year, trees without water might not have grown at all. Yikes. Perhaps this is just one more reason you should consider joining Team #FakeTree?
[h/t The Huffington Post
