Christmas tree growers in British Columbia say they are facing a brown holiday season due to the heat dome that drove temperatures above 40 Celsius for days and burned firs destined for family living rooms.

The late June heat dome turned some trees from green to brown and killed many spring seedlings, said Robert Russell. He has been growing Christmas trees on Vancouver Island for almost 50 years and holds a degree in forestry from the University of British Columbia.

Russell, 83, said the heat was too much for some of the firs and their needles turned brown, reducing the treeB次元官网网址檚 value at Christmas or rendering it of too poor quality to sell.

B次元官网网址淭he trees were not able to cope with the heat of the solar rays,B次元官网网址� said Russell, standing beside a two metre tall, seven-year-old Grand fir that would be a prized Christmas tree if not for its singed branches.

Douglas fir trees, which are native to B.C.B次元官网网址檚 coastal regions, fared better than other non-native ones during the heat, but they are often considered to be lower tier because of their needle structure, he said.

Russell, who lives in a cabin he built on the 16-hectare Sahtlam Tree Farm near Duncan, said the majority of his business involves wholesale of trees to companies and organizations that market them at Christmas. But the public is also welcome to come and cut their own tree on his property.

Wholesale customers have already asked about the status of trees for the Christmas season, he said.

B次元官网网址淚 said, B次元官网网址榶ouB次元官网网址檒l get your trees but the quality may not be as good as has been,B次元官网网址� B次元官网网址� said Russell. B次元官网网址淭he heat domeB次元官网网址檚 effects are going to limit the numbers of trees available to market.B次元官网网址�

Paul Huesken said heB次元官网网址檚 heard similar stories about heat damage to trees from operators in his area of the Fraser Valley and from growers in Washington and Oregon.

B次元官网网址淚B次元官网网址檝e been growing trees since 1987 and this is the worst year,B次元官网网址� said Huesken, who runs Woodsong Christmas Trees near Chilliwack and serves as president of the Southwest B.C. Christmas Tree Association.

B次元官网网址淐ertainly, this is a once in a lifetime event from my experience because our temperatures here were up to 44 degrees Celsius,B次元官网网址� he said.

The heat scorched brown patches to the sides of some trees, leaving them not satisfactory for market or likely only available for sale at reduced rates.

B次元官网网址淚B次元官网网址檓 simply saying to some of my (wholesale) customers across Western Canada, B次元官网网址業 donB次元官网网址檛 think I can supply you this year because you might be happy with three sides of a tree, but you wonB次元官网网址檛 be happy with the fourth side,B次元官网网址� B次元官网网址� he said.

Huesken said he plans to put up a notice at his farm this holiday season that tells people who want to cut their own tree, they may have to make do with one damaged by heat.

B次元官网网址淧eople can walk around the tree and decide if they are going to buy it or not,B次元官网网址� he said.

Sally Aitken, who teaches forestry at the University of British Columbia and is an expert on the effects of drought and heat on trees and plants, said the heat dome could have immediate and long-term impacts for Christmas tree growers.

Trees the farmers have been tending for up to seven years could now be damaged and seedlings for future crops have also been decimated because of the heat, she said.

Aitken said she noticed changes in trees while in Lillooet earlier this summer when the area was breaking Canadian temperature records in the high 40s. Tree needles were soft and sticky and giving off a strong odour, she said.

B次元官网网址淚tB次元官网网址檚 a tricky situation,B次元官网网址� said Aitken. B次元官网网址淲eB次元官网网址檙e watching reactions to situations that are outside of the historical range of conditions, so we donB次元官网网址檛 know what to expect.B次元官网网址�

Russell agrees current conditions are uncharted, but for now heB次元官网网址檚 doing his best to save his crop, shearing and trimming brown branches to keep trees in shape for the festive season.

B次元官网网址淚 have certain techniques for making the tree look as good as possible,B次元官网网址� he said. B次元官网网址淏ut it is what it is.B次元官网网址�

Dirk Meissner, The Canadian Press