WEBVTT

1
00:00:00.000 --> 00:00:01.800
- [Female Presenter]
It's post Thanksgiving,

2
00:00:01.800 --> 00:00:03.990
which means that we are
finally in the throws

3
00:00:03.990 --> 00:00:05.970
of the end of year holiday season.

4
00:00:05.970 --> 00:00:06.803
For some families,

5
00:00:06.803 --> 00:00:08.700
that means picking out
a tree for their home.

6
00:00:08.700 --> 00:00:11.130
Some households have an
artificial tree that they use

7
00:00:11.130 --> 00:00:12.000
for years.

8
00:00:12.000 --> 00:00:13.740
I know that's what I have at home.

9
00:00:13.740 --> 00:00:15.720
But a lot of people are excited to go

10
00:00:15.720 --> 00:00:17.490
and pick out their own personal tree.

11
00:00:17.490 --> 00:00:20.130
Sadly, there may actually be less trees

12
00:00:20.130 --> 00:00:21.420
to go around this year

13
00:00:21.420 --> 00:00:25.020
because the Grinch this
Christmas is drought.

14
00:00:25.020 --> 00:00:26.640
But what exactly does
the drought have to do

15
00:00:26.640 --> 00:00:27.870
with Christmas trees?

16
00:00:27.870 --> 00:00:32.190
I think one obvious thing
is trees need water to grow

17
00:00:32.190 --> 00:00:35.190
and so much of the US experienced
dry conditions this year.

18
00:00:35.190 --> 00:00:38.160
Hot and dry weather has actually
broken records nationwide

19
00:00:38.160 --> 00:00:39.060
this past summer,

20
00:00:39.060 --> 00:00:40.650
which means that a lot
of the Christmas trees

21
00:00:40.650 --> 00:00:43.620
that were planted this
summer ended up dying.

22
00:00:43.620 --> 00:00:48.060
One Christmas tree farmer
in Kansas lost about 70%

23
00:00:48.060 --> 00:00:50.400
of his newly planted
trees earlier this year.

24
00:00:50.400 --> 00:00:54.240
- Takes anywhere from 10 to
12 years to produce that tree,

25
00:00:54.240 --> 00:00:57.095
from a seedling up to a
marketable sized tree.

26
00:00:57.095 --> 00:00:57.928
- [Female Presenter] Another farm

27
00:00:57.928 --> 00:01:00.420
in central Texas had to shut
down their cutting field

28
00:01:00.420 --> 00:01:02.100
because of the dry conditions.

29
00:01:02.100 --> 00:01:06.520
And another farmer up in
Massachusetts lost about 90%

30
00:01:07.650 --> 00:01:09.870
of the trees that were planted this year.

31
00:01:09.870 --> 00:01:11.610
And it doesn't look like
our drought situation

32
00:01:11.610 --> 00:01:13.170
is going to get any better.

33
00:01:13.170 --> 00:01:14.910
Government agencies predicted

34
00:01:14.910 --> 00:01:16.230
that we're gonna have a dry winter

35
00:01:16.230 --> 00:01:18.810
so there may be a Christmas tree shortage

36
00:01:18.810 --> 00:01:20.040
in the years to come, too.

37
00:01:20.040 --> 00:01:21.750
Thank you for watching "Extreme Earth."

38
00:01:21.750 --> 00:01:23.850
We're sorry that we have
to constantly remind you

39
00:01:23.850 --> 00:01:24.723
about all this.