Grinch fungus is coming for Northwest's Christmas trees
Like a Grinch with a grudge against holiday greenery, a fungus is targeting the Northwest's Christmas trees. That’s essentially the findings of new research exploring how climate change is affecting the region’s tree farms.
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Gary Chastagner, aka “Doctor Christmas Tree,” is a plant pathologist at Washington State University. He’s been working with Christmas trees for nearly 50 years. Over the last couple years, he says there’s been an uptick in sick trees.
“There's a variety of diseases that affect the production of Christmas trees, many of them are caused by fungi,” Chastagner said.
Christmas trees are generally a non-irrigated crop, so hotter summers can stress fir trees, leaving them more susceptible to disease. On top of that, more rain in the spring and fall (like the past few years) also cause problems. A changing climate means more rain, which can oversaturate tree roots, causing fungi to grow, Chastagner said. Fungi then affects the roots of the trees, choking them until they die.
“Some trees may be more tolerant to the moisture stress and drought stress,” Chastagner said. “Those are the trees that growers could utilize to avoid the problems that we're seeing now in the future.”
He notes that scientists are currently experimenting with Eurasian fir trees, to see if they are more tolerant to drought conditions. Chastagner and his team plan to survey multiple growing sites in Washington and Oregon throughout 2024, with the aim of helping to find solutions.
According to the Pacific Northwest Christmas Tree Association, Oregon is the top Christmas-tree producing state, and Washington ranks sixth.
