UK Christmas tree growers warn of shortage after record-hot summer 2026

Right · 2Christmas tree growers in Britain have warned of a shortage after summer 2026, which the Met Office said was the hottest on record, with drought conditions killing many young trees. 1 2 Right · 1Because trees normally stay in the ground for around eight years before being cut, the losses have raised concern about supply in future years as well as this season. 1 Right · 2Oliver Combe, 57, of York Christmas Trees, told The Telegraph: "For the first time ever, we have had losses in what we planted last year." Around 2,000 of 15,000 newly planted trees were lost, even though Combe had switched to autumn planting to encourage strong roots, and Combe said there had been "no proper rain since Easter". 1 2

Right · 1Dry soil also stopped older trees absorbing fertiliser properly, which could affect their development and later harvests. Combe, who had previously chosen not to irrigate, is now considering irrigation and has two ponds that could serve as reservoirs. 2 Right · 2In East Sussex, James and Ruth Wallis of Sutton Hall Farm near Lewes lost 20,000 trees planted two years ago. James Wallis told the BBC the financial consequences were "significant" and that some trees had turned yellow because the drought made it harder to absorb nutrients. 1 2 Right · 2Russell Parkins, chairman of the British Christmas Tree Association, said: "There are enough trees, but it's a challenge to keep them in good condition." He said the industry was adapting, with autumn planting spreading and research into provenance selection to help British-grown trees cope with changing weather. 1 2

Right · 1The Met Office said summer 2026 was the hottest on record, with a June–August mean temperature of 16.5C in a dataset going back to 1884; the highest temperature was 38.2C at Hartpury College, Gloucestershire, on 13 August, below the UK record of 40.3C set at Coningsby in July 2022. It said the heat was made 130 times more likely by human-made climate change. 1 Right · 1GB News added that England had its driest July on record, with 5.6mm of rain, and that the summer's average daily maximum of 21.3C beat the 21C set in 1976. It also reported that Combe was chosen last month to provide the Downing Street Christmas tree and advised shoppers to wait until early December, when frost helps a cut tree stay fresh. 2 Left · 1The Daily Mirror, on 6 November, quoted Josh Lyle, founder of Pines & Needles, who said a heatwave and El Niño had depleted the UK crop and that European growers were refusing to ship to the UK: "They can sell their entire crop domestically without the paperwork." 3

Left · 1The Mirror said importing is harder after Brexit because of extra bureaucracy and logistics, that a labour shortage has left some farms unable to harvest trees, and that Lyle said many retailers will not be "fully stocked" this year. It also said trees take 8–10 years to reach a mature 6–7ft size, and that Pines & Needles operates 11 farms across Scotland. 3 Mixed · 2This sits uneasily with the British Christmas Tree Association's statement that there are enough trees; the Mirror's source speaks of a national shortage, while the trade body's chairman, Russell Parkins, spoke only of difficulty keeping trees in good condition. 3 2