Tree supply running dry
Buy a print
Eagle photo/Dave McDermand
shauna.lewis@theeagle.com
The drought has been tough on crops statewide, and Brazos Valley area Christmas tree farmers -- including two who are closing because of their losses -- aren't immune.
Christmas tree growers in Texas lost some trees, especially those who didn't have irrigation, said Mike Walterscheidt, executive secretary for the Texas Christmas Tree Growers, an organization of more than 120 Texas farmers who grow and sell Christmas trees.
But the main problem is a lack of growth, he said. Trees usually grow 18 inches in a year, but this year his trees on his Elgin farm showed no growth.
That means it could take an extra year to grow trees to a salable size of 6 to 8 feet. Costs also increased because farmers had to irrigate for a longer period than usual. Most growers in the Brazos Valley said they were not increasing tree costs, though.
Cross Creek Christmas Trees in Hearne closed because of the drought, and Kristof's Christmas Trees in Caldwell closed after selling trees the weekend after Thanksgiving -- the traditional opening weekend for Christmas trees farms. J.P. Seven Christmas Trees in Brazos County closed because owner Hans Van Vuijtenen is retiring after 34 years; owners of nearby Christmas tree farms attributed a spike in customers during opening weekend to his farm's closing and his sending loyal customers to other farms.
"I've never seen this kind of mortality," Van Vuijtenen said. This year's drought is the worst he's seen since in the 50 years he's lived in the area.
Van Vuijtenen, who hasn't planted trees in the last three years, lost about 400 trees to the drought, and had about 1,100 left. He has been selling trees to a local Lion's Club this year.
Heat and lack of water put stress on all trees, said Texas Forest Service forester Pete Smith. The area still has a lack of moisture in the ground despite recent rains, he said, and the stress might cause more trees of various types to die next year.
"We didn't just have record drought -- we had record heat," he said.
Christmas tree seedlings are planted in January and take about three to four years to grow large enough to sell, Walterscheidt said. He normally irrigates in July and August, but did so for six months this year.
Some Brazos Valley tree farmers said they got into the business for supplemental income because they were looking for an agriculture use for their land and had tracts too small for ranching or other types of farming. The owners typically run the farm themselves, but hire two to seven helpers during selling season.
"The drought has been real hard," said Frank Kristof, who owns Kristof's Christmas Trees with wife Shirley Kristof. "We've lost about 30 percent of our trees."
After selling about 70 trees during opening weekend, Kristof's closed Monday, although it still has a few trees it will sell by appointment. It normally sells about 250 a year.
Phyllis Hughes, who owns Crossed Creek Christmas Trees with husband Larry Swift, said they started selling Christmas trees last year, when they sold about 30 to 40. With J.P. Seven's closure nearby and plans for marketing the farm for the first time, Hughes expected this year to be successful. But three-fourths of their trees died, and the rest didn't look good enough to sell.
The farm doesn't have irrigation, but will plant again in January and add a watering system, she said. Hughes expected it to take three or four years before the farm has a good enough selection to re-open.
In Bryan, Keith McDaniel said his farm, Kelumac Christmas Tree Farm Bed, lost all of his seedlings -- which means he lost his crop he would have sold in about four years -- and a few of his bigger trees.
"I didn't get a whole lot of growth, but I kept them alive," said McDaniel, who used an overhead sprinkling system to irrigate three times longer than usual.
McDaniel sold about 100 trees last weekend, and attributed a spike in sales to fewer trees being available and more people trying to support local farmers than in the past. The farm will celebrate its 20th anniversary Saturday by serving hot dogs and chili.
