Drought creates Christmas tree crisis

WEST GREENWICH, R.I. (WLNE)– As the drought in Southern New England rages on, Big John Leyden’s tree farm is facing a Christmas tree crisis.

The farm of over 100 acres estimates losses up to $70,000.

John Leyden, owner of the farm, explained, “The smaller trees, where we plant nearly 10,000 seedlings, we’ve lost 70-plus percent of those seedlings. Those seedlings are expensive now, they’re anywhere from $5-10 a piece, and it hurts when you lose those kinds of numbers.”

Leyden harvests his trees 10 years after planting. He expects rises in prices and low inventory a decade from now.

He continued, “It’s about time. Time is the biggest asset you have, and when you lose a spring planting, a fall planting, then it really sets you back a whole entire year.”

West Greenwich is about 4 inches below the yearly average for rainfall.

The town has seen less than half and inch this month.

With the majority of his property covered in healthy, older trees, Leyden says the farm will survive despite the dry season.

He finished, “It’s very sad, the plight of a farmer.”