Lingering drought could impact future Christmas trees

LE SUEUR, Minn. (KEYC) - With snow flurries here and Thanksgiving around the corner, the time has come for many families to start making plans for their holiday decorations.

Brewery Hill Farm in Le Sueur is just days away from opening their annual Christmas Tree harvest, and they say that despite an ongoing drought, they have a hopeful outlook for the season.

“That rain in July made these trees really well. They responded to the nutrients that we had in there and they responded through their growth, and their color is exceptional. So the trees this year should be really good. The problem that we do worry about is, like next year,” said Scott Wilson of Brewery Hill Farm.

Tree farms like Brewery Hill will grow trees for nearly a decade before they’re ready to be picked, meaning this year’s crop has had plenty of time to grow.

But in the log term, the multi-year drought could threaten trees in the coming years.

The farm says that they hope to preserve the winter tradition, and that the demand for Christmas Trees has increased over the past couple of years, with families excited to keep coming back for the annual activity.

“I always say one of the biggest problems that we have in our world is a disconnect to nature. You know the natural world is a disconnect for most kids. So being out here you’re connected back into nature you actually get to see, you know, life and death,” said Wilson.

Brewery Hill expects to see around 2000 trees cut from their fields within the first week of their season.

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