WAMU 88.5 : News

Filed Under:

Superstorm Sandy Causes Shortage Of Large Christmas Trees

By: Pat Brogan // November 13, 2012
Play associated audio
comments
There shouldn't be much of a hit to the supply of normal-sized trees, but over-sized ones are a rarer commodity and may be rarer still this year.
Steven Depolo: http://www.flickr.com/photos/stevendepolo/6415811769/
There shouldn't be much of a hit to the supply of normal-sized trees, but over-sized ones are a rarer commodity and may be rarer still this year.

One major local supplier of giant Christmas trees is cancelling most of its orders thanks to Superstorm Sandy.

Gale-force winds drove wet snow deep into the firs at Pinetum Christmas Trees in Swanton, Md., which is located high in the Appalachian Mountains. The snow then froze and pulled limbs from their sockets. The owner, Marshall Stacy, says more than 3,000 trees were damaged, resulting in roughly $40,000 in losses.

He has refunded nearly 70 percent of his orders.

Customers will have to look elsewhere, but there are few farms that sell over-sized trees. That's because it takes so long to grow them, according to the National Christmas Tree Association.

Arts & Culture

NPR

Dan Brown: 'Inferno' Is 'The Book That I Would Want To Read'

Dan Brown, author of the blockbuster The Da Vinci Code, is back with his first novel in four years. Inferno follows academic hero Robert Langdon on a chase through Italy as he attempts to avert a biological catastrophe.

Food

NPR

'Picture Cook': Drawings Are The Key Ingredients In These Recipes

Designer Katie Shelly's upcoming cookbook offers 50 illustrated recipe "blueprints" for basic meals — from simple snacks to more hefty dishes like eggplant Parmesan. She hopes they'll inspire any level of cook to improvise in the kitchen.

Politics

NPR

Immigration Bill Chugs Along, But Some See Deal-Breakers

The bipartisan immigration overhaul proposed by the Senate's Gang of Eight has been the target of scores of amendments. So far, the bill has largely held its own, but its prospects for getting through Congress are uncertain.

Technology

NPR

Book News: Amazon May Be Called Before Parliament Over Taxes

Also: AARP and The Nation join a growing list of ebook publishers; Hilary Mantel on Jane Austen; Anne Applebaum on Sheryl Sandberg.

Leave a Comment

Help keep the conversation civil. Please refer to our Terms of Use and Code of Conduct before posting your comments.