Mike Gerdes

…Believe it or not, it might be hard to find a Christmas tree eight years from now. That’s because of a tree seedling shortage happening right now across the West. …It’s a common story this year in Washington, Oregon, California and beyond. There aren’t enough baby trees to plant back what people want to cut down or what has burned in recent wildfires. It’s a seedling shortage. …The seedling shortage appears to be nationwide, although it’s more acute in states like in Washington and Oregon. That’s according to Diane Haase, the head seedling nursery expert for the USDA Forest Service in the West and Pacific islands. …Making the shortage worse is the fact that many state-run tree nurseries have been shuttered. …One big problem has been a pure shortage of seed. Trees produce massive numbers of cones for seed only about every seven to 10 years.