New Hampshire’s long-running drought has hurt many local seasonal traditions, from whitewater rafting in the summer to leaf-peeping in the fall. But how, now as the holidays approach, are local christmas trees impacted?

“We have noticed there's a lot more trees that have started to dry out. Some have turned more yellow than normal," said Kristian Backa, co-owner of Balsam Woods Tree Farm in Newport.

But experts say when the drought intensified in late summer this year, evergreens were generally in a better spot than other trees. The hardwoods that supply such vibrant foliage, like Red Maples or American Beech, suffered more this year because they go dormant later than evergreens, so many of them were active during this year’s drought.

“The dormancy of Christmas trees or evergree

See Full Page