Rick Brown of JB Tree Farm measures the size of a fir at his tree farm near Alexandria. Growers say Christmas tree supplies are looking good for this year. Mirror photo by Patrick Waksmunski

The weather forecast may not reflect it, but it’s starting to look a lot like Christmas, at least for Christmas tree growers around the state.

With Thanksgiving just over a week away, Christmas tree sales begin this weekend for Sellers Tree Farm near Bedford and Tait Farm Christmas Trees near Boalsburg. JB Tree Farm near Alexandria will begin its Christmas sales on Friday, Nov. 29, after Thanksgiving.

Growers said supply looks good this year thanks to successful plantings a few years ago.

Gerrit J. Strathmeyer II, president of the Pennsylvania Christmas Tree Growers Association, said there may be shortages of larger trees, but supplies should be good in the 6- to 8-foot range.

Strathmeyer, whose family operates Strathmeyer Christmas Trees in York County, said the shortage of tall trees is a result of the 2008-10 recession, which put some growers out of business and resulted in fewer trees being planted.

According to the National Christmas Tree Association, Christmas trees take as little as four years and as many as 15 years to reach the desired height for harvest.

This time period is important because weather conditions during the growing years affect the final product, leading to famine years later.

Growers affected by dry weather said this year’s drought may not be apparent until five or more years later.

“I lost every seedling I planted,” said Rick Koontz of Sellers Tree Farm.

Koontz planted about 4,000 seedlings this spring and said losing those seedlings would hurt his supply in about five years, but he will try to recover with next year’s plantings.

Koontz also said he is starting to lose larger trees due to continued dry weather despite heavy irrigation.

“I watered as much as I could until July 4th. … We were really watering,” he said. The region received five inches of rain from the remnants of the second hurricane this summer, “but the drought caused a lot of damage,” he said.

Still, the three-quarters of a centimeter of rain that fell on Sunday, Nov. 10, “made me feel good,” he said, because the rain helped meet the water needs of trees coming into harvest season.

Strathmeyer acknowledged that the loss of this year’s plantings will impact inventory and supply six to eight years down the line.

“We went seven weeks without rain in York County in July and August,” he said. “This may cause the trees to dry out more quickly.”

Manager Emily Zink said Tait Farm was also affected by the drought, causing the trees to “not hold their needles.” “With drought, you can expect losses of up to 30 percent. We lost most of the small trees we planted last year, but we have an inventory of 20 thousand trees,” he said.

He also believes the November 10 rain provided moisture when it was needed.

“The rain was a blessing, we were cheering while it was raining,” Zink said. “It was perfect timing. The trees drink as much as they need.”

Co-owner Evelyn Bookhammer said JB Tree Farm suffered minimal damage from the drought.

“We lost a few seedlings in the field and even a large Fraser fir or two, but mostly in places where soil conditions were rocky,” Bookhammer said.

The drought in some areas did not affect the Eagle Street Estate Christmas Tree Farm in Morrisdale, Clearfield County.

“We had a lot of rain in my area. We had about eight or nine inches in July and August and had an early growing season,” said owner Jim Holencik. “I was very blessed.”

Holencik said that no trees died due to drought, and there was no drought on the farm until mid-September.

As for the early growing season, “We’ve had budding the first week of May, which usually doesn’t happen until Memorial Day weekend,” Holencik said.

Holencik sells Christmas trees wholesale, and a retailer will arrive this week to purchase 1,500 Fraser firs. He said the trees would fall in the York and Dover areas.

The retailer receives all the trees within a week, usually in a day or two, Holencik said. “He has a crew that comes and cuts them and bales them so they are fresh.”

Despite the challenges brought by the drought, Christmas tree growers said they will have plenty of trees on hand this year.

“We plan to have a good supply of trees in the normal range, with special order and larger trees on the lot,” Bookhammer said of JB Tree Farm.

Of those trees, Fraser fir and Douglas fir are the best sellers, Bookhammer said.

“They have a great scent, hold needles well, are strong enough for ornamental and are a great shape,” he said.

Tait Farm’s Zink said Canaan fir trees account for about 90% of sales. “These trees are very similar to the Fraser fir, they look almost the same and they hold needles very well,” he added.

Strathmeyer stated that both Fraser and Douglas fir trees grow on his farm, noting that the Fraser fir can carry heavy ornaments, has a green-blue hue, and layers very well.

He said Douglas fir is good for lighter trimmings and is a medium green with no blue tint.

Sellers Tree Farm selects and cuts Christmas trees in Fraser, Concolor and Douglas fir varieties, as well as blue spruce varieties.

Despite the challenges facing Christmas tree growers, the industry remains vital to the state.

According to the latest USDA Census of Agriculture, Pennsylvania ranked second in the number of Christmas tree farms and fifth in the number of Christmas tree acres.

“This is a sign of the resilience and consistency of the real Christmas tree industry,” said Marsha Gray, managing director of the Real Christmas Tree Board. “We are meeting the demand. We sell what we harvest. And we continue to plan ten years ahead.”