Grinch fungus is coming for Northwest's Christmas trees

Like a Grinch with a grudge against holiday greenery, a fungus is targeting the Northwest's Christmas trees. That’s essentially the findings of new research exploring how climate change is affecting the region’s tree farms.

Gary Chastagner, aka “Doctor Christmas Tree,” is a plant pathologist at Washington State University. He’s been working with Christmas trees for nearly 50 years. Over the last couple years, he says there’s been an uptick in sick trees.

“There's a variety of diseases that affect the production of Christmas trees, many of them are caused by fungi,” Chastagner said.

Christmas trees are generally a non-irrigated crop, so hotter summers can stress fir trees, leaving them more susceptible to disease. On top of that, more rain in the spring and fall (like the past few years) also cause problems. A changing climate means more rain, which can oversaturate tree roots, causing fungi to grow, Chastagner said. Fungi then affects the roots of the trees, choking them until they die.