CNN —Christmas tree farmers across the Northeast are looking decidedly less merry as they struggle to keep their trees alive amid a weeks-long drought that has left vegetation brown, shriveled and crisp. Nearly 60% of the Northeast was in drought last week, according to the US Drought Monitor, and more than a quarter of it was in severe to extreme drought conditions, having received little to no rain for weeks. It’s the young trees at Christmas tree farms that are getting hit hardest, threatening to impact many farms’ tree sales in the future, since it takes about seven to eight years to grow a mature Christmas tree. Meanwhile, about 500 of the 2,700 Christmas trees the farm planted earlier this spring have already died from drought conditions. “Christmas tree farms in the Northeast have, unfortunately, been hit with drought conditions that will impact the crop for several years to come,” Warner told CNN.

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Persons: Chris Moran, “, ”, ” Jami Warner, ” Warner, ” Moran, Darryl Schwartz, He’s, I’ve, ” Schwartz, centerpieces, Moran, he’s Organizations: CNN, US Drought Monitor, WBZ, Association, Whispering, World Meteorological Organization Locations: Mendon , Massachusetts, Virginia