Britons have been warned that hot weather and drought conditions could jeopardise their Christmas plans, with growers facing a potential shortage of Christmas trees after this year's challenging conditions.
Trees typically remain in the ground for around eight years before being cut, but many did not survive their first 12 months following the record temperatures of this summer, reports suggest.
Growers Report Significant Losses
Oliver Combe, who works at York Christmas Trees, said he lost around 2,000 of his 15,000 newly-planted trees because of the hot, dry weather. He told The Telegraph it marks the "first time ever" trees have died just 12 months after being planted, due to a lack of "proper rain since Easter".
Mr Combe advised people to hold off on buying their trees until early December, by which point frosts may have boosted their resilience.
James Wallis, who runs Sutton Hall Farm in East Sussex, said he had lost 20,000 trees planted just two years ago as a result of the hot weather. He told the BBC: "The financial consequences are significant. You invest a huge amount of time and effort into producing a quality tree, so it's very disappointing."
Industry Faces Tough Year
Russell Parkins, chairman of the British Christmas Tree Association, said it was also becoming a challenge to keep trees in "good condition". He added that it had been a "tough year" for growers as they are forced to "continually adapt their practices", including by investing in irrigation.
The warning comes after pumpkin growers also raised concerns over the impact of the hot weather ahead of Halloween, with many crops struggling to grow and turning out smaller than expected.
Summer Heatwaves and Drought
This summer saw much of the UK in drought, with millions restricted in their water use. The country endured as many as five heatwaves, with the first in late May, followed by one in late June, two in July and one in mid-August.
The June heatwave prompted a rare red alert from the Met Office for extreme heat and saw temperatures peak at 38C on June 26 in Norfolk, a new record for the month. An estimated 2,877 deaths in England were associated with the heatwaves in May and June, according to the UK Health Security Agency.
As the hot weather continued, England saw its driest July since data began, with only 7mm of rain measured, or 10% of the long-term average. The most recent heatwave, in mid-August, saw temperatures climb as high as 38.2C at Hartpury College in Gloucestershire on August 13, making it the hottest day of the year.
