Recent cold weather damaged local crops

Sub-freezing weather in the latter half of May was not only unusual; it was damaging to the Christmas tree crop.

"There is damage due to the freeze and frost," said David Isner, the Cooperative Extension Christmas tree agent for Alleghany County. "The extent is not fully determined yet."

Isner said that beginning May 20, there were four successive hard frosts, with temperatures dropping to the mid-20s at night.

Here in Alleghany, he said of the frost/freeze damage, "It varies from place to place through the county....It may not be quite as bad as Ashe and Avery as far as county-wide. Some fields, yes, but not as bad county-wide.

"It will affect some of the trees available for market at the end of this year. It will affect some of the seedlings available for setting in the field next year," said Isner.

Specific numbers are not yet available. "Any reduction in trees not available to go to market is yet to be determined," he said. The full extent might not be known for two or three years. "It's too early yet to know how each individual's damage is going to be, and certainly dollar-wise."

Isner said some trees in the field had broken through dormancy and were experiencing new growth. "That's what's damaged is the new growth. It's tender and susceptible to damage due to cold."

The later-than-normal frosts, which followed warm weather in April, was not good for gardens or fruit trees either, he added.

Federal assistance might be a possibility, said Isner. "It's being looked into. The Farm Service Agency is pursuing what assistance could be available from the U.S. Department of Agriculture."

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