Drought destroys up to 70 percent of new Christmas trees in Austria

Christmas tree producers from Austria and Germany recently met in Tirol to discuss the severe impact of drought and heat on current crops. The meeting, attended by approximately 50 producers, highlighted significant regional disparities in crop damage.

In eastern Austria, Josef Reithner, spokesperson for Lower Austrian Christmas tree farmers, reported that drought has destroyed up to 70 percent of newly planted trees. Additionally, larger trees have suffered from sun damage, rendering them unsellable. In Tirol, while the situation is less severe, producer Jakob Feichtner noted that high temperatures have negatively affected smaller trees, and concerns remain regarding whether heat affects needle retention.

Christmas tree cultivation is a long-term process, with trees typically requiring about ten years to reach a standard height of two meters. In Tirol, annual demand ranges from 120,000 to 130,000 trees, half of which are produced locally while the remainder is imported from other Austrian states, Germany, and Denmark.