Severe heat burns Christmas tree crops in Oregon
The devastation caused by the intense heat and wildfires that have raged across Oregon this summer affects all kinds of farms, including those planting trees for the Christmas season.
Jacob Hemphill, the owner of Hemphill Tree Farm, estimates he lost more than $100.000 in Christmas trees as a result of the "thermal dome" event, which saw temperatures of 115 degrees Fahrenheit (46.1 degrees Celsius) in some parts of Portland. Metropolitan area.
"On the second day of the heat, it was 116. I came into the driveway that night and saw the trees cooking. And it burned to nothing," Hemphill recounted the heat damage to his seedlings.
He said the losses would affect his family this year. But he hopes things will improve next year.
"I mean, you have to deal with the punches and replant next year...and hopefully we'll make up for the loss we'll have in the future."
Beyond the Christmas trees, Reuters spoke to several farmers across the Willamette Valley who said the heatwave, coinciding with a statewide drought, was causing unprecedented levels of damage to their crops.
Two hundred fifty miles south of Portland, it just burned up. Shy of 400.000 acres (over 160.000 hectares) of brush and dried timber in and around Fremont-Winema National Forest since it erupted in early July. This makes it the third-largest recorded wildfire in Oregon, dating back to 1900.
It is also the most significant fire of about 80 active fires reported in 13 western states.
At least 67 homes have been destroyed, and another 3.400 are listed as being threatened by Bootleg fire, with an estimated 2.100 people receiving orders to evacuate or prepare to flee at any moment.
The fire was ignited by lightning and ignited by hot, windy, and dry weather. But firefighters have taken advantage of calmer winds and more excellent, wetter conditions over the past few days to expand and support containment lines around the perimeter of the fire.
The containment rate was 38% in the last report, up from just 7% a week ago.
Scientists declared that the increasing frequency and intensity of wildfires is mainly due to prolonged drought and increased bouts of extreme heat, which are symptoms of climate change.
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