Freezes and frosts have damaged more than half of the Christmas tree crop in some parts of Nova Scotia this spring. “The trees that were slated to be harvested this year, they’re estimating that half of them just won’t recover in time to be harvested,” said Angus Bonnyman, executive director of the Christmas Tree Council of Nova Scotia. “It takes eight to 10 years to have a marketable tree so it’s quite a loss.” The council has been talking with the provincial Agriculture Department and the Federation of Agriculture on possible emergency funding to help growers. Bonnyman didn’t have a damage estimate but noted that Nova Scotia growers export at least $15 million in trees each year. There is no provincial crop damage program for the Christmas tree industry, nor is there anyone in the government dedicated to Christmas tree industry issues, he said. “We want to be on record as saying there was significant damage and we’re talking now.” The council is also conducting a phone survey with growers to get a sense of the damage. It appears Lunenburg County has been hardest hit and there have also been losses in the central and northeastern regions. “It’s been many decades since we’ve seen this kind of loss,” Bonnyman said, so the council has distributed a fact sheet on mitigating the tree damage and a gathering will be held Saturday in New Ross, where best practices will be discussed. “The main thing is not to shear too harshly,” he said. “The temptation would be to lop off everything that’s burnt, and there’s a risk you’ll impede the tree’s recovery by doing that. It’s just, please be patient and give it a little bit more time. The trees are quite resilient so you have to be careful.” Besides practical advice, it’s important that growers — and their employees who may be laid off or have their hours cut — know they’re not alone in dealing with this problem. “Right now we’re trying to have someone call to say we’re interested in what’s happening with your operation,” Bonnyman said. The record low freeze on June 4 caused damage across the agricultural sector in Nova Scotia, from tree and bush crops like blueberries, apples and plums to vege- tables such as potatoes. At that time, the SaltWire Network’s Cindy Day said she’d never seen such a widespread killing frost in her 30 years as a meteorologist. But Day said Tuesday that the jet stream is finally starting to flatten out “and that means we’ve seen the last of the frost.” Source - http://thechronicleherald.ca