![]() ![]() "We found some this year that are supposed to be specially developed as Christmas trees, but we paid twice as much for them this year." "This year the forest managers were buying up all the seeds that were already in the ground," said Barbara Tantare. On top of that, seed prices for new Christmas trees have skyrocketed in 2021 thanks to all of recent increase in wildfires that have destroyed more trees and land over the last two years. "It's caused us to have additional mortality for our trees." "In the last two years not only have we had drought, but also the irrigation water that we have had in the past has not been available throughout the summer," said Tantare. Tantare told NewsWatch 12 that a big reason that their farm lost so many trees this year was because of a lack of water supply from Talent irrigation. Most of their losses were to their small trees - however even the older ones that would usually be stacked with dark green needles six to seven feet up in the air, are now a pink and orange hue. This past summer, Rudolph's Christmas Tree farm lost roughly around 1,100 hundred trees, or 20% of their total inventory. "The impacts will be felt greater for us in the next five, six and seven years down the road." "The impacts on us have been primarily with our younger trees," said Tantare. "We've had a lot of help from our neighbors and even other Christmas tree farmers."īut over the last two years, growing Christmas trees in Medford has become much more challenging, not only because of the on-going extreme and severe drought, but also extreme heat. "We've been very lucky here at this farm," said Tantare. In that time, the couple has had to deal with very little adversity with their trees, beside the occasional deer killing a tree, or losing one to maybe disease. "When we're able to invite families here with their children and they come out and find a tree, it's really moving," he said.įor the last almost decade, Rudy and his wife, Barbara Tantare, have been providing beautiful, luscious, dark green Douglas fir trees to families all across the Rogue Valley. So when he decided to retire from the Forest Service, becoming a Christmas tree farmer back in his home state was an easy decision for him. His favorite part, he told NewsWatch 12, is getting to watch the trees gro1. Forest Service, has been replanting trees for most of his life and has always had a special place in his heart. ![]()
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