HADLEY, MA (WGGB/WSHM) – Could our statewide drought conditions impact your vacation plans? What should those looking to buy Christmas trees know? Western Mass News stopped by a local tree farm and got some answers about when dry conditions could be a concern.

“So it’s the regularity of the hot days that’s starting to be a problem,” said Steve Wagner of Wanczyk Evergreen Nursery.

(Journalist: Does this worry you?)

“Absolutely,” Wagner added.

Despite a brief rain shower Sunday evening, forecasters said it was not enough as the region has been battling a significant drought for weeks and, with no substantial rain in sight, the dry conditions have sparked some concerns over the holiday festivities, especially those around. Christmas trees. Wagner told us that despite the record drought, the trees are holding their needles pretty well, but that may not be the case for future trees.

“Probably not next year, probably three or four years, because it takes about seven years for a Christmas tree to be planted to sales size,” Wagner said.

Wagner told us that drought conditions typically have a much greater impact on young trees because, without enough moisture, they can become weak and more prone to stress and disease, stunting their growth or eventually killing them. kill.

“Not all older trees, because they usually have an established root system, are. There is no need to water them as much. You don’t have to worry about drought conditions because their roots really do extend quite far and deep. It’s the young trees that don’t have, just a very small root system, and you have to be very careful with those droughts and make sure they get a lot of water,” Wagner noted.

However, drought conditions are not the only concern for orchardists. Wagner said with all the hot weather we’ve been experiencing, there are some concerns because the soil has become more vulnerable to pests.

“When we had our normal winters, we normally had a three-foot deep freeze. This is why all your foundations should be 4 feet tall. Now the ground doesn’t even freeze a foot,” added Wagner.

These pests can infest trees and potentially cause damage and harm their health. Some of these insects are coming from areas never before seen in our area, posing an additional threat to trees.

“What happens is the winters aren’t as cold, they don’t die off, so they can reappear in the summer and then when we’ve had our usual winters, when we get down to -15 or -16, they die, even if they would bury themselves in the ground It would still be too cold Now the ground is not really frozen to such a depth that they can survive,” Wagner said.

Overall, tree sales this year are not expected to be significantly impacted. Wagner noted that it would take a much more severe drought to affect the growth of their trees.

“Climate doesn’t affect evergreens that much, as long as we have three, three or four frosts we’ll be fine,” Wagner noted.

Wanczyk Evergreen Nursery will receive its Christmas trees Wednesday and said the best time to put them up is not until the first week of December.

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