‘A freak weather event’
June frost reduced Nova Scotia’s Christmas tree crop by 40 per cent
A heavy spring frost has reduced Nova Scotia’s Christmas tree output this year, but industry experts say families shouldn’t have to resort to a fake tree.
The frost, which took place on June 4, has resulted in about a 40 per cent reduction in usable crop, said Angus Bonnyman, executive director of the Christmas Tree Council of Nova Scotia.
About 60 per cent of the approximately million trees, mostly balsam fir, harvested each year at more than 300 farms in the province come from southwestern Nova Scotia, which was the hardest area hit, Bonnyman said.
“It was a once in a hundred years, kind of a freak weather event. Essentially it was below zero temperatures for several hours and the result was that the new growth burned off of the tips of the branches,” he said. “So if you were to walk through parts of southwestern Nova Scotia the day after (the freeze) it would smell like a forest fire had gone through.”
Trees further north received less damage because their new growth starts later in the year.
Bonnyman said some of the trees damaged were totally lost, while others were not marketable this year but may recover by next Christmas. Some trees were marketable this year but at significantly lower grade, which yields a lower price on the market.
It’s not just Christmas trees — apple crops and blueberry crops were also heavily damaged by the frost. Bonnyman, who also happens to own a blueberry farm, said this year he only harvested a quarter of what he was expecting.
The majority of the trees produced in Nova Scotia, about 90 per cent, are shipped outside the province and sold across Canada as well as in the United States and the Caribbean.
But even with the reduced inventory, Bonnyman said, Nova Scotians should still be able to find themselves a real tree
“We believe that there should be a real tree for everyone in Nova Scotia should they want one. We just encourage people to shop early for best selection,” he said.
Jason Scotthorn, one of the owners of a 52-hectare Christmas tree farm in East Hants, said about 80 per cent of his trees were damaged by late frost.
“We usually ship to Aruba; we’ll start cutting them the end of October and keep them in refrigerated containers,” he said. “This year, we never shipped one tree.”
Scotthorn said this year they’ll be focusing on U-Pick sales. While some trees are badly damaged, others had less damage — mostly “late bloomers” that didn’t have much new growth when the freeze occurred in June.