Our warming world is impacting one of the most ubiquitous symbols of the holiday season. North Carolina, the country's second-largest Christmas tree-producing state, was hit by Helene, a storm that was supercharged by our overheating planet. Extreme weather events like Helene are a challenge for tree growers.
What's happening?
Nearly a quarter of the country's Christmas trees come from North Carolina, the NC Christmas Trees Association revealed. The "Tar Heel State" produces nearly four million trees each year. That number is certain to be lower this year because of Hurricane Helene.
Helene delivered a devastating blow as it swept into the southern Appalachians in Western North Carolina. The region experienced historic flooding and strong winds.
Helene killed at least 103 people in the state and caused estimated damage of over $50 billion, per the State of North Carolina. A recent study found that Helene, as well as every other hurricane that developed during this year's Atlantic hurricane season, was intensified by our warming world.
A report from the National Centers for Environmental Information said Christmas trees are vulnerable to extreme weather conditions. Many of the extreme weather events that directly affect the crop, like droughts, extreme heat, and extreme rainfall, are exacerbated by our warming world. Earth's warming climate is also shifting growing zones, which increases the risks of pests and diseases.
"A warmer climate will affect the production of Christmas trees through changes in the frequency and intensity of extreme weather events, the shifting of growing zones, and increasing the risk and prevalence of pests and disease," according to the NCEI report.
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Why is the impact on Christmas trees important?
Studies have found that the warming of our atmosphere, as the result of a build-up of heat-trapping gases, intensifies severe weather events. A World Weather Attribution study of the ten deadliest extreme weather events from the past 20 years found that they were all made worse because of our planet's rising temperature, per the BBC.
What's being done to protect the Christmas tree industy?
It is clear that Christmas trees can't adapt quickly enough to our warming climate. Researchers at North Carolina State University are studying how trees use their natural defense mechanisms to cope with the stresses of a changing climate and become more resilient. Researchers hope to make genetic improvements to trees so they can better acclimate to our warming world and its extreme weather. They also want to develop trees that have a better scent and mature faster — in six years instead of ten.
A study done this summer offers hope for the future of some types of trees. Scientists found forests use different strategies to remain resilient in nutrient-poor soils.
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Hopeful news has also emerged from brother entrepreneurs on the West Coast. Two brothers in Colville, Washington, are taking on two issues at once to help make forests more fire-resilient and the lumber industry more sustainable.
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