The climate crisis is increasingly impacting agriculture in the United States, including the production of Christmas trees.

Like all crops, Christmas trees are vulnerable to climate change as the United States continues to experience warmer temperatures, more frequent and intense heat, increased rainfall, droughts, wildfires, and hurricanes due primarily to global warming and the climate crisis driven by the burning of fossil fuels fuels by humans.

A recent report from the National Centers for Environmental Information, part of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), shows how dire the climate crisis is and how it will continue to impact Christmas trees.

The report said high temperatures and drought can stress Christmas trees and make them more susceptible to pests and diseases, that excessive rainfall can cause flooding and root rot, and that extreme cold can cause frost damage and dry out buds and shoots.

In 2021, a severe drought in Oregon resulted in the death of over 70% of Christmas tree seedlings in the state, the report said. The reason for this was extreme temperatures and very dry conditions, which also completely dried out the needles of older trees.

Jill Sidebottom of the National Christmas Tree Association said warmer temperatures can affect needle retention on Christmas trees because they require cold temperatures to remain dormant. In the warmer fall, trees find it difficult to keep their needles longer.

“These trees need to be in cold temperatures,” she said.

Hurricane Helene caused catastrophic flooding and historic rainfall in North Carolina in September, resulting in ornamental nursery and Christmas tree losses of about $125 million, the report said.

To adapt to the increasing challenges of climate change, researchers across the country have been studying Fraser firs and other Christmas tree species to improve their resilience to climate-related stresses.

Bill Lindberg, a Christmas tree educator at Michigan State University Extension, noted that young trees face challenges during droughts. He said through research they found that irrigation management and using wood chips to increase soil moisture in Michigan can serve as short-term solutions.

Long-term efforts include research into tree species that might thrive better in a warmer, drier climate, Lindberg said. Researchers also conduct genetic research and breeding programs.

“Scientists hope to help the industry by producing Christmas trees that can adapt to and be more resilient to the threats of climate change,” the NOAA report said.

North Carolina State University’s Christmas Tree Genetics Program has worked for decades to develop “elite” Fraser firs that can withstand these climate-related impacts.

Justin Whitehill, the program’s director, said their main focus is helping the trees adapt so they “continue to thrive and survive.”

It involves a traditional breeding approach, he said, which can be slow as it can take 20 to 30 years for Fraser firs to produce pollen or cones.

To speed up the process, Whitehill said they test the trees and existing genetics in different environments and “evaluate their performances based on how they perform at different elevations and how the genetics correlate with those different environments.”

“Rather than simply leaving the trees to figure it out on their own – which is the natural approach – we are artificially helping the trees by identifying the ones that tend to do better in these newer climates and new conditions and trying to put pressure on those to be with them somewhat more advanced methods are passed on to the next generation,” he said.

Genetic modification is another method being considered to adapt Christmas trees to the climate crisis, Whitehill said, but although they are thinking and thinking about it, they are “pretty far away from it at the moment,” he said.

While climate change poses challenges to the growth of Christmas trees, Whitehill explained, “We’re not at the point where the sky is falling yet.”

“As with every other crop we have out there, whether corn, soybean or any species, there are challenges and they arise faster than most species we work with can adapt, but we are facing them “Grown to the task,” he said.

“There are people working on this, we know that, and we will have something to keep the industry solvent and happy so people can continue to enjoy real trees for years to come.”