Rows of evergreen trees are lightly dusted with freshly fallen snow at the Kootenai County Fairgrounds in Coeur d’Alene, Idaho. This is where the Myhre family sells their Christmas trees every year.
“The tree selling season is happening earlier,” said Graydon Myhre, whose family owns Rusty Gate Tree Farm in Harrison, Idaho.
This year, the trees went on sale the weekend before Thanksgiving, which is earlier than years past.
”People kept calling, wanting their trees,” Myhre said.
Business has been steady this year, he said. Selling Christmas trees across the country and the world is big business for the Pacific Northwest. Oregon and Washington are two of the top producing states for Christmas trees according to the Pacific Northwest Christmas Tree Association.
Noble and Douglas fir are the most popular varieties for Christmas trees, and both evergreen conifers are native to the region. But hotter and drier weather caused by climate change is affecting the industry.
Rather than relying on irrigation, Northwest Christmas tree farms normally rely on the wet weather here, said Gary Chastagner, a retired plant pathologist.
Chastagner has been researching Christmas trees for forty-seven years, and is still working on projects with farms throughout the Northwest. Drought is posing a challenge for tree growers he’s working with, like Myhre.
”Without irrigation, our first and second year seedlings would not survive," Myhre said.
Over the years, Washington State University scientists have been collaborating with researchers at Oregon State University to trial exotic Eurasian tree species that might do better in dry weather.
“These species may have the potential to produce a high quality tree even under those droughtier-type conditions that we’re seeing much more frequently now in the Pacific Northwest,” Chastagner said.
Scientists planted these trees at different Christmas tree farms across the region like Rusty Gate Tree Farm, to study their resilience to a handful of factors.
“We’re looking for trees that grow quicker and have great foliage,” Myhre said.
His family is trialing Trojan fir, Turkish fir, Nordmann fir, and Canaan fir trees to see which ones grow best in Northern Idaho.
“These trees are still young, but as you walk the field you can see some tree types that are definitely outperforming others,” he said. “It is exciting to be a small part of finding and producing a better Christmas tree.”
Growers like Myhre also have to watch for deadly fungi that can infect the roots of trees.
“Another real benefit of these trees is that they’re resistant to root rot,” Myhre said. “They have excellent foliage and their needle retention is unmatched.”
Results of Chastagner’s latest trials are expected next fall.
