PROVIDENCE – Searching for that perfect gift may not be the only hard find this holiday season.
Christmas tree farmers across Rhode Island say supply is short this year due to the drought conditions this past summer.
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Clark’s Christmas Tree Farm in Tiverton, the state’s oldest Christmas tree farm in the state, according to the R.I. Christmas Tree Growers Association, announced on Facebook Nov. 11 they would not open this holiday season due to short supply.
“This is the worst year we’ve had in terms of tree loss,” Eric Watne, owner of Clark’s, told WPRI-TV CBS 12. “The damage from the drought, combined with the fact we couldn’t get any outside trees … we don’t have enough stock to open this year.”
Clark’s wasn’t the only grower who felt the effects of last summer’s drought.
Shire Tree Farm in Scituate told WPRI drought conditions have “upset the balance between pests and predators.” Bedrock Christmas Tree Farm in South Kingstown told the news station the drought “took its toll” on their trees, leaving the business unable to open for the 2022 cutting season.
However, some farms still do have trees.
Sarah Partyka of The Farmer’s Daughter in South Kingstown told The Newport Daily News they had to shut down the cut-your-own field due to the summer drought. Although the farm will be open and has trees, Partyka said only pre-cut trees will be available.
“Extreme heat and drought really hurt those trees … the field features a lot of sandy knolls, and the trees growing on those knolls really suffered,” Partyka said.
Jack Eckhart, who runs the Christmas tree fields at Sweet Berry Farm in Middletown, told the Newport Daily News their trees survived the drought, due to the farm’s high-quality soil that is dense and holds moisture well. Eckhart added that farms with sandier soil compositions had a more difficult time withstanding the summer’s drought conditions.
Siobhan Thurston, owner of Almy-Thurston farm in Portsmouth, told The Newport Daily News they would sell trees until Dec. 3 or until their supply runs out.
“This is going to be the worst year we’ve had,” Watne told WPRI. “This will affect us for the next five years, because of the number and size of trees we’re losing.”
