Heat and drought devastate young Christmas trees in parts of Bavaria

Young Christmas trees across Bavaria suffered heavy losses during the hot, dry summer, with some growers reporting that up to 80 percent of newly planted trees died. BR reports that older trees have mostly fared better.

“It was a catastrophe,” said Marina Kippes, who runs a family Christmas tree business with her father, Armin Löblein. They grow Nordmann firs, blue spruces and pines on 36 hectares. The older trees have long taproots that reach water deep in the soil, she said.

On the family’s plots in Gramschatzer Forest, a wooded area in Würzburg district, all the trees planted this year will have to be replanted, Kippes said. The losses will affect sales in eight to 10 years, when the trees would have been ready to sell.

Young Nordmann firs also died on Patrick Meßthaler’s plantation in Ansbach district. Many had put out new growth in spring but then lacked water, he said. Irrigation is possible for only some growers because their plots can be spread out and not all receive permits. Kippes could water only her plots in Mittelsinn, while one farm in Neustadt an der Waldnaab district watered some trees by hand.

Losses vary by location and business, said Christopher Sturm, chairman of the Bavarian Christmas Tree Growers Association. Some farms lost up to 80 percent of their young trees, while others saw the usual rate of about 2 percent. Growers with losses must clear the dead trees and replant. Sturm said there would be no noticeable difference in the quality of trees ready for sale.

Growers in Lower Bavaria and the Upper Palatinate also reported generally good trees. Dry conditions limited their height and prevented long tops from forming, but the trees grew denser and bushier. Some older trees developed brown needles from strong sunlight, making them unsellable. A grower in Rottal-Inn district said he expected the needles to hold well this year because the trees were accustomed to water shortages.

Christmas trees will cost slightly more than in 2025. The German Christmas Tree Producers Association expects prices to rise by around one euro per metre. A metre of Nordmann fir is estimated to cost between 25 and 33 euros, largely because of higher fuel and labour costs.