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Having too much rain can be bad for Christmas trees. If there’s too much wa- ter in the ground, it can stop trees from getting oxygen. Basically, it drowns the roots. “Firs don’t like to have wet feet,” Thomas said. “I did lose quite a few but I hadn’t ever lost them before, so hope- fully we won’t get a repeat next year.” Thomas lost at least 300 trees on his farm. Carroll says his trees fared better than expected. The impacts of the weather are different for every farm in every part of the region. There are about 500 Christmas tree farms in Virginia, according to the Virginia Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services. Despite some of these issues, folks in- volved with the Virginia Tree Growers Association say we won’t have a “blue Christmas.” “Looks like there’s plenty of trees for everyone,” Thomas said. While Virginia is getting too much rain, some areas are dealing with too little. The Camp Fire in California went through a Christmas tree farm near Par- adise. “Their entire farm, all of their trees were lost in the fire and they just made it out with the clothes that they had on their back,” Carroll said. The Christmas Tree Growers Associa- tion is raising money to help the farm get back on their feet. “It’s pretty difficult. It makes you think if it were happening here - we’re getting the opposite, we’re getting too much water - they’re not getting enough,” Carroll said. “Our heart goes out to the folks that are out there.” Reprinted from www.wavy.com with the complete text, photos, and video at https://www.wavy.com/news/vir- ginia/how-will-your-christmas-tree-look- compared-to-those-at-virginia-s-execu- tive-mansion-/1621109232

Proclamation - Virginia Christmas Tree Month

VDACS – News Releases for Christmas Trees It’s Not Too Late to Get a Virginia Grown Christmas Tree For The Holiday December 12, 2018 News Release and Social Media from VDACS Christmas is less than two weeks away, so go get your Virginia Grown ever- green tree today. Once you buy your Virginia Grown Christmas tree, the Vir- ginia Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services encourages you to help spread holiday cheer by posting images of your decorated tree on social media using the hashtags #Va- GrownChristmas and #VirginiaG- rown. Search for Virginia Christmas tree growers and retail locations near you at VirginiaGrown.com or on the Virginia Christmas Tree Growers website, vir- giniachristmastrees.org. Along with choose-and-cut and pre-cut trees, many farms and retail locations sell fresh- made wreaths, garlands, holiday green- ery, roping, centerpieces and tree stands. Some offer special touches for a memorable family experience such as hot beverages, holiday treats, hayrides and Christmas shops. Consumers should call ahead to confirm availabil- ity and hours of operation. Freshness is an important feature of every Virginia Grown tree. Fresh-cut trees retain their needles and stay fra- grant longer than trees brought in from out of state, which may be cut as much as a month or more in advance. Virginia’s rich soil and moderate cli- mate are ideal for growing a wide va- riety of Christmas evergreen trees in- cluding white pine, Scotch pine, Nor- way spruce, blue spruce, Douglas fir and Fraser fir. For every Christmas tree harvested, another two to three seedlings are planted in its place. Contact: Michael Wallace, 804.786.1904

by Governor Ralph Northam WHEREAS, Virginia farmers grow nu- merous varieties of Christmas trees on 500 farms across the Commonwealth for wholesale, retail, and choose-and- cut customers; and WHEREAS, Virginia ranks seventh in U.S. states in terms of total Christmas trees harvested, eighth in total tree acre- age in production, and ninth in number of operations with Christmas tree sales; and WHEREAS, Virginia growers deliver the spirit of the holiday season by do- nating hundreds of Christmas trees to military families each year through the Trees for Troops program; and WHEREAS, Virginia grown Christmas trees are renewable, recyclable, and nat- ural products, and for every tree cut growers replant two-to-three seedlings in its place; and WHEREAS, Christmas tree farming is part of Virginia’s largest private indus- try - agriculture; and WHEREAS, a day spent on a Christmas tree farm is a venerable holiday tradi- tion for thousands of Virginia families and an opportunity to contribute to en- terprising Virginia businesses; NOW, THEREFORE, I, Ralph S. Northam, do hereby recognize Decem- ber 2018 as VIRGINIA CHRISTMAS TREE MONTH in our COMMON- WEALTH OF VIRGINIA, and I call this observance to the attention of all our citizens.

VCTGA News Journal ‒ Winter 2019 VCTGA News Journal – Winter 2019

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