The State : Christmas Trees Delayed

Unusually cold weather and snowstorms in Oregon and Washington caused temporary delays in the delivery of some Christmas trees to California, it was reported. Less than 10% of the 6.5 million trees grown in the two states for sale nationwide during the holiday season were affected, Wally Hunter of the Northwest Christmas Tree Assn. said, because growers were unable to harvest on schedule because of the weather. “There’s not really a shortage,” he said. “Some growers are behind by a couple of days.” Of the four million Christmas trees sold annually in California, about 1.5 million are grown in the state, Sharon Burke of the California Christmas Tree Growers Assn. said, while 2.5 million come from Washington and Oregon.