Drought may have impacted local Christmas tree supply

The first day of December can be a busy one for Christmas tree farmers — many of whom come from out of state. The state of Oregon may not be in a drought, but as Samantha Cortese reports, the lack of rain may have impacted our Christmas tree supply here in the desert, and throughout California.

Joe Whitney said his 29-acre Christmas tree lot near Salem, Oregon gets two months of sunshine, but this year they received six months of sunshine.

“We did not get any rain, and we have over 20,000 Christmas trees,” Whitney said. “My wife, [it] took her four weeks to pick out 900 trees that weren’t burned from the lack of water. I don’t know, I’m going to be hurting next year.”

The Whitney family has made the trip to the desert for 50 years. Joe said two weeks before harvest, the farm got enough rain to save his season — other farms weren’t so lucky.

“I’ve seen people clear-cut their field and let it go because there wasn’t enough trees. But that little rain we had two or three days before helped,” Whitney said.

Joe said you should especially look out for dry trees; not only are they less attractive, they’re dangerous.

Cal Fire warns a dry Christmas tree can go up in flames within seconds, with the most common fires starting in the living or family room. You should keep your window closed during the daytime so the sun doesn’t contribute to your Christmas tree burning.

Whitney Farms is across from Jackalope on Jackson Street and Highway 111.

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