Christmas tree cultivation

Forest and fog above Hoh River, from Spruce Nature Trail; Olympic National Park, Washington.Photo: VWPics via AP Images (AP)What should be evergreen hills and forests throughout the Pacific Northwest are now marred by large swathes of brown, dead trees.Fir trees across Oregon are dying from an ongoing drought plaguing much of the country. In a recent aerial survey, the U.S. Forest Service observed dead trees in about 1.23 million acres (over 1,900 square miles) of forest in Oregon and Washington, Columbia Insight…

Workers unload a truck with 1,400 Christmas trees at North Pole Xmas Trees in Nashua, New Hampshire on November 17, 2022.Photo: JOSEPH PREZIOSO/AFP (Getty Images)This year’s Grinch is the ongoing U.S. drought, and it’s affecting Christmas tree farms all over the country. They’ve seen smaller tree yields and more dead trees, which has meant higher prices for customers. A tree farm in Meridian, Texas had to shut down its cutting field this month, KCEN-TV News reported. Owners pointed to the dry conditions in the state. “It…