Sunday, December 12, 1999
Tree buyers find bumper crop
Drought didn't hurt in north
BY TERRY FLYNN
The Cincinnati Enquirer
The 1999 drought that turned lawns brown throughout the Midwest apparently had no effect on the fir and spruce trees that grace local living rooms during the holidays.
“Most of our trees come from Michigan and a few from Canada,” said Tom Fields, who has been selling Christmas trees from a lot on Carothers Road near Interstate 471 for 21 years.
“The growers we buy from say this has been one of their best growing seasons. They had plenty of rain up north.”
Even locally, nurseries haven't experienced any real problems in supplying both cut trees and cut-your-own trees.
“We've been as busy this year as ever, and the drought hasn't been a problem for us,” said Marilyn Nieman, owner of John T. Nieman Nursery in Butler County's Ross Township.
“We have lost some of our little, new trees that were planted this year,” she said.
“Those are the saplings that haven't rooted well yet. But we don't think we'll have any problems supplying trees in the next 2-3 years because we plant a lot of different trees to be sure we'll have a crop. We may lose some, but not all.”
The Niemans grow most of the popular varieties, including Scotch and white pine, blue spruce, Douglas fir and Norway spruce. They import the Fraser fir from Michigan and North Carolina because the Fraser doesn't grow well locally.
Prices have remained pretty much in line with the past couple of years, according to the retailers.
Jerry Peluso, a Newport business owner and city commissioner, has been selling trees in front of his little Monmouth Street grocery for 14 years and hasn't had a problem obtaining all the trees he needs.
“The highest price I have is $35, for trees over 6 feet,” Mr. Peluso said. “I know some of my regular customers can't afford a lot for a tree, so I keep my prices as low as I can.”
Mr. Fields said the average price for a tree on his lot is $35, with some obviously running higher. “Prices have been pretty steady.”
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