Britain could face a Christmas tree shortage in future years after the hottest summer on record and severe drought killed young saplings and curtailed the growth of established plantations, growers have warned.
Farmers say there should be enough trees for this Christmas, although the extreme weather has affected quality and reduced the number available for some growers. Christmas trees typically take seven years to reach a height of 6ft, with a further two years usually needed to raise the sapling.
Clive Collins, who runs Catsfield Christmas Tree Farm near Bexhill in East Sussex, said many newly planted trees had failed to survive their first year. A late frost in May also damaged the buds of older trees and restricted their growth.
“It’s not just the heat that has affected the trees – we lost a number of very young trees this year – but a very late frost in late May in the South East damaged some of the tree buds of older trees which affected their growth,” he said.
Mr Collins, who has farmed Christmas trees for more than 30 years and has 16,000 growing at his plantation, said imports had also fallen because of lorry driver shortages and rising fuel costs. Severe weather had reduced the number of trees available for export, making overseas supplies more expensive.
“As a result, there is a shift towards domestic sourcing and British consumers will be relying more heavily on the millions of trees being grown domestically on UK plantations,” he said.
He added that there should be sufficient trees this year, but warned that shoppers might struggle to find their preferred shape or quality.
“The weather has affected the quality of some trees – although we have plenty of top quality ones at Catsfield – so people might struggle to find their perfect tree,” he said.
Mr Collins has planted 1,800 replacements for the trees lost this year, with autumn planting becoming more common to give roots longer to establish before hot weather arrives. He said growers had to fertilise, prune and protect trees from birds and other wildlife throughout the year.
Christmas tree growers adapt to prolonged dry weather
Oliver Combe, who runs York Christmas Trees with his wife and son, lost about 2,000 newly planted trees during the hot, dry summer. He is now planting in autumn and considering irrigation from two ponds on the farm.
“It’s been a tough year,” said Mr Combe, who will supply this year’s Downing Street tree. “For the first time ever we have had losses in what we planted last year.”
He said growers had experienced “no proper rain since Easter” and that very hot summers appeared to be becoming more frequent. One of his fields remained “bone dry”, he said.
James and Ruth Wallis, who run Sutton Hall Farm near Lewes in East Sussex, lost 20,000 trees planted two years ago. Their harvest is expected to fall by a third this year.
Mr Wallis said the drought had made it harder for trees to absorb nutrients, while some had turned yellow. The farm does not have an irrigation licence, so weed growth was left around smaller trees to shield them from the heat.
Will and Ella Miles, of Welford Christmas Tree Farm in Northamptonshire, lost 4,000 saplings. They are also moving to autumn planting to give young trees more time to develop their roots before the arrival of hot weather.
Not all plantations suffered the same damage. Hole Park Estate in Rolvenden, Kent, said its established trees had largely survived because the area’s heavy clay soils retained moisture from earlier rainfall.
Owner Edward Barham said the estate had lost some newly planted saplings with insufficiently established root systems and had needed to water young trees. However, he said there had been little drought-related damage to established trees and that the quality of this year’s crop was outstanding.
Russell Parkins of the British Christmas Tree Association described the year as difficult but said there were enough trees. He said growers had used more fertiliser and were working to keep nutrients in the ground as the trees entered winter.
Growers are advising customers to wait until the start of December to buy their tree, when it will have experienced several frosts and may last longer after being cut.
Severe drought remains in parts of south-west England and Sussex, while much of Wales is still affected. North-west England, including Greater Manchester and Cumbria, was moved to recovery status after its wettest week for two years.
