ROCKFORD, Mich. — Thanksgiving is next week, which means —very soon— the center of many homes will be a Christmas tree.
Are you hoping for a real tree this year? For many families cutting down a tree is a traditional beginning to the holiday season.
With this year's wonky weather, you may wonder how the Christmas Tree crop is shaping up for the season. FOX 17 Meteorologist Terri DeBoer visited Hart Tree Farm in Rockford, in its 76th year of growing Christmas Trees.
Owner Tom Hart grew up on this family tree farm and says this year's crop is in excellent shape; about the best he can ever remember seeing!
The wet Spring followed by near drought conditions in September and October combined to produce fantastic tree quality this year. As with most agricultural crops, timing is everything when it comes to the health of Christmas Trees as well.
"Rainfall in the spring for the new plantings and through the growing season, which is usually we're done probably about end of July, for the growth of the trees, any new growth, but the roots will still grow continuously," Hart says.
Hart's family has been growing Christmas trees since the 1940s. Since each tree takes about a decade to mature, new trees are regularly being planted to replace those that are cut each year.
Different weather conditions are essential at certain times of the growing cycle.
Ironically— even though December is "show time" for this crop— too much extreme cold at the wrong time can present the biggest challenge to the trees.
"Sometimes we'll get some southerly winds when it's real cold, and we can get some winter damage or winter burn on some Douglas fir and certain varieties," Hart explained.
And frost at the wrong time in the growing cycle is a big concern.
"Late frost can damage some of the new growth on certain species of trees, and we've avoided that for the last few years," Hart says.
Michigan ranks third in the country for Christmas Tree production. Hart Tree Farm in Rockford is opening for the season this weekend, complete with family activities including wagon rides through the fields so you can pick out and even cut down your own tree.
If you aren't near Rockford and want to find a Christmas Tree Farm near you, head to the Michigan Tree Farm Association website where you'll find a map to local growers all over the state, along with instructions on how to care for your tree once you get it home.
Read more stories from the FOX 17 Morning News team
Do you have an idea for the Morning News team or maybe an idea for a guest segment or something for the gang to come out and try? Send them an email at mornings@fox17online.com or call 616-447-5252 and leave a message.
Follow FOX 17: Facebook - X (formerly Twitter) - Instagram - YouTube
