NEWTON COUNTY, Ga. — It’s almost time to shop for your Christmas tree, but you may have heard there is a shortage.
Severe Weather Team 2 Meteorologist Eboni Deon went to Newton County to find out what you need to know about buying the perfect tree.
Recent weather conditions could cause concern that trees might be hard to find, however, many of the trees were planted long before this year’s drought and are healthy and plentiful.
Chuck Berry, owner of Berry’s Christmas Tree Farm, said trees are less impacted by drought than row crops. Trees do not need consistent rain. When the soil is drier than normal, the growth of the tree slows but it doesn’t mean that it will die.
“We’ve got a pretty crop as you can see. We’ve had rain basically at the right times. We had some dry spells, but with an evergreen tree basically, it just goes into a dormant state,” Berry said.
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Some tree farms in other states have experienced hardship with little to no inventory due to drought and other environmental issues.
Deon asked Berry if this year’s drought would impact his trees for next season.
“It won’t. We planted about 4,500 this past wintertime January and February and they’re usually established by the time we have dry spells so we don’t foresee any problems in the future,” Berry said.
Berry said the trees take about five to six years to get a 6-7 foot tree.
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“You have to plan ahead. It’s not like a standard row crop where you can plant and harvest in the same year,” Berry said.
That’s the benefit of growing the evergreens, Berry said. If there is limited rain they might not achieve the growth wanted but over time it can be made up for once rain returns.
“To say there’s a shortage here that’s really not the case here. if someone wants a real Christmas tree, they can find a real Christmas tree,” Berry said.
There are about nine different varieties available at Berry’s Tree Farm.
Christmas tree shopping will begin soon and the good news is in north Georgia you will have plenty to choose from.
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