UK Christmas tree farmers report losses after record-tying hottest summer

By Kristina Pydynowski, AccuWeather senior meteorologist

November 30, 2018, 12:16:51 PM EST

As families are gearing up for the holidays, Christmas tree growers across the United Kingdom are reporting significant losses in young trees following one of the hottest summers on record.

The British Christmas Tree Growers Association (BCTGA) stated that some of the 320 farms it represents lost up to half of the young trees that were planted in the spring amid the summer heat, according to BBC News.

Such losses will not affect buyers of larger Christmas trees this December as it typically takes about 10 years for saplings to be ready to be sold to consumers.

The BBC states that those looking for smaller trees, however, may encounter shortages.

A 20ft Nordmann Fir tree from Windsor Great Park, entirely dressed in gold, is decorated and stands at the end of St George's Hall, at Windsor Castle in Windsor, England, on Friday, 30 November 2018. (AP Photo/Frank Augstein)

This summer tied 1976, 2003 and 2006 as the hottest on record across the U.K. with an average temperature of 15.8 degrees Celsius (60.4 degrees Fahrenheit), according to data from the Met Office. That is 1.4 C (2.5 F) above normal.

"While the summer was one of the warmest on record, it was unusually dry as well with high pressure in control from the U.K. into Scandinavia," AccuWeather Meteorologist Tyler Roys said. "That kept the storm track away from the U.K. as storms targeted southern Europe instead."

The U.K. as a whole received 73 percent of the normal summer rainfall. When examining individual countries, percentages were held below 65 in England and Wales.

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The rainfall shortages, in turn, led to this summer being the fourth sunniest on record across the U.K. and the sunniest so far this century.

Whilst the saplings took a hit, one member of the BCTGA anticipates a good crop of Christmas trees this year due to the abundance of sunshine.

Stephen Reynolds told the BBC that the older and larger trees benefited from the sunshine as their deep roots tapped into underground moisture.

For the damaged young trees, Christmas tree farmers have already started to replant with some preparing to plant extra next year.

"Growers will be working hard to replace their losses and ensure there is a stable, long-term supply to the market," Oliver Combe, chairman of BCTGA, said in an interview with Countryside Magazine.

The AccuWeather Long-Range Forecasting Team anticipates an active winter with frequent windstorms targeting the U.K. Roys expects the second half of winter to be stormier than the start.

"With the windstorms will come frequent bouts of rain, which should help to ease the drought across the U.K.," Roys said.