Frasier Firs Developing Faster than Previously

While Christmas might be in the rearview mirror, Christmas tree farmers who grow Frasier Firs are dealing with a unique challenge as they head into next year.

Diane Chapman, a Christmas Tree grower, said cones didn’t used to develop until around the 15^th year, but now they are seeing younger Frasier Fir trees producing cones.

“Now we’re seeing it on trees 3, 4, or 5 years old and they have to be picked off every year by hand.”

Some trees can produce hundreds of cones which, for a Christmas Tree, makes them unsellable.

Chapman and her husband Jim said that this is a critical problem for Frasier Fir growers.

“The whole industry is trying to figure out we can prevent the Frasier from producing all these cones. They’ve spent a lot of money trying to figure it out and it’s just a troubling thing.”

Some researchers believe a warmer climate and less water is a possible cause of this coning problem.