Northwoods Experience: Has Drought in NW MN Affected Christmas Tree Growth?

Some degree of drought occurs in Minnesota nearly every year, but the state has faced significant drought conditions each year since 2021, and some parts of the state have seen similar levels of drought this year compared to 2021. With the holiday season quickly approaching, the question is: Has the drought that faced Minnesota this year affected the growth of Christmas trees?

The state of Minnesota has seen near record-breaking warm temperatures this year. According to the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources, about 45% of the state is currently facing severe drought conditions.

“Drought is a natural part of our climate here in Minnesota, but there’s nothing natural about what we’ve been experiencing,” said Luigi Romolo, DNR State Climatologist.

The southeastern corner of Minnesota received 32 inches of rainfall so far this year, which is usually the average amount across the country annually. Northwestern Minnesota has only received 19 inches of rain so far. Most of that rain came during the spring and early summer months.

“What that rain did was it helped replenish our soils and get those up to what we call ‘field capacity,’ the point at which the soil becomes saturated,” added Romolo.

Luckily for the growth of Christmas trees, that’s exactly what they need.

“It has been a really good year for the growth, actually, of the trees because the rain that we did get early on was very, very timely,” explained Nick Wolcyn, Manager of Wolcyn Tree Farms. “Every rain is helpful and needed, but when you get those timely rains in May and in June, that’s when you really see the new growth flourish and push. All of our larger trees that have been in the ground for more than a year have actually not been irrigated all year.”

Because of the increase in rainfall during the spring season in northern Minnesota, not only will this year’s harvest of Christmas trees be reportedly better than in previous years, but it should also have a good effect on the trees currently being grown that will be harvested in the future.

“We’ve got trees in the field that we planted this year, we’ve got trees we planted in the field eight years ago that we’re harvesting this year and everything in-between,” added Wolcyn. “We had really good new growth this year, which was great.”

“They actually look wonderful this year,” says Tyler Olson, Co-Owner of Nature’s Edge Garden Center. “We get white pine, a couple different varieties of fir and spruce. When it’s warmer like this, we want to keep them shaded and cool as possible to keep them from drying out. So in the greenhouse here, when we hang them up, we have the vents open to keep it nice and cool here, and that is the key for keeping them green and well-preserved here.”

NOAA’s winter forecast is currently predicting above-normal snowfall and below-average temperatures, especially in Western Minnesota.