Planting cycle forced to change for area tree farm due to drought
By Cal Larsen
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OMAHA, Nebraska (KETV) — Nordstrom’s Christmas Tree farm is gearing up for its busiest weekend of the year after 362 days of nonstop work.
The farm on Pawnee Rd. in Omaha is open 9 a.m. – 5 p.m. on Friday, the day after Thanksgiving, 9 a.m. – 5 p.m. on Saturday and Noon to 5 p.m. on Sunday.
“Friday morning is like a mad race and it’s a beehive out here of people trying to get their trees,” owner Scott Nordstrom said.
What those people won’t see is the work Scott Nordstrom and his family has put in to make this upcoming weekend possible.
Nordstrom planted 3,000 trees this spring. He said he lost nearly all 3,000 of them due to dry, hot conditions. According to Nordstrom, droughts impact new, freshly planted trees much more severely than large, older trees.
Because of that loss, Nordstrom decided to plant trees in the fall. Something he doesn’t normally do.
“This is probably the third spring or summer that’s been super hot or super dry and over the last three years I probably lost eight to nine thousand trees,” Nordstrom said.
The second-generation tree farmer said if planting in the fall works out he’ll change his planting cycle to include both spring and fall, not just spring.
The property holds 17,ooo trees but has gaps throughout due to trees that have died because of the weather.
“Wherever you don’t see a tree, if you look close enough, you’ll see a little guy that I planted there.”
Despite the loss Nordstrom is optimistic his business will continue to succeed especially after a handful of area tree farms have closed down.
“I feel the field will keep going well, growing strong,” Nordstrom said. “I feel the business will be consistent, solid, every year.”
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