For some Christmas tree growers, Christmas will not be as cheerful or profitable a holiday. Droughts and an oppressive heat dome have damaged fir and spruce trees, especially in the southern U.S., and that impact could continue for years to come.
Michael Wysession, professor of Earth, environmental and planetary sciences and fellow of the McDonnell Center for the Space Sciences, was recently interviewed by CBS News about the effect of climate change on recent droughts. "There have always been droughts and floods, said Wysession. "But droughts are becoming a little bit more severe, they're lasting a little bit longer."