HATFIELD, Mass. - There will be fewer trees for shoppers going to Chestnut Mountain Christmas Tree Farm in Hatfield this season due to the heavy rainfall earlier this year.
What You Need To Know
- Chestnut Mountain Christmas Tree Farm in Hatfield lost about 20% of the trees they planted this year due to too much rain
- Owner Robert Schrader said some farms across the region have had to close for tree shopping this year due to weather damage as well as supply chain issues
- Scharder said the recession in the late 2000s has also played a huge role on supply chain issues as well as the increase in pricing for trees
- The Hatfield farm grows most of their own trees and will open for Christmas tree shoppers next Wednesday, Nov. 22
Owner Robert Schrader said the family-owned farm's younger trees could not handle all of the water.
"We lost about 20% of the trees we planted this year due to too much rain," Schrader said. "In general, our soils are pretty good, they're pretty well drained, but when young trees get six to seven inches of rain in such a such a short amount of time, the soil stays saturated. The trees literally drowned."
Schrader said some farms across the region have had to close for tree shopping this year due to weather damage as well as supply chain issues. He said the Hatfield farm, unlike some other western Massachusetts farms, does grow most of their own trees as opposed to getting them from out of state.
"I wouldn't say that I'm the expert on the shortage," he said. "I know for the last five years there's been difficulty finding trees. The price of trees is up."
Sharder believes the recession in the late 2000s has also played a huge role on supply chain and pricing issues as well.
"A lot of growers in North Carolina and in Canada cut back on their planting," he said. "So if you look at a tree and you realize these trees are 12 to 13 years old at this point, you trace it back to the recession. A delay in planting, and you have a shortage of sorts."
Schrader said Chestnut Mountain will open for Christmas tree shoppers next Wednesday, Nov. 22. While the farm may have a shorter supply this year, he still expects business to be busy for the next few weeks.
"We expect it'll be a good year," Schrader said. "I think there's a good selection. The trees that were affected by the weather were primarily the trees that we planted this year and last year, so they're six or seven years from being the size that we want to be selling them."