first Christmas tree farm in 1952 in Grizzly Flats, a Gold Rush-era mountain town some 25 miles from the county seat. The business prospered, and their son Mike eventually took over.
Of the seedlings Mike planted in February, one of the hottest and driest on record, 80% died by July. In August, thousands of mature Christmas trees became kindling for a massive wildfire. “People revere some of these big, old trees, and we’re losing them,” said Meg Krawchuk, an associate professor in the Department of Forest Ecosystems and Society at Oregon State University. “The climate crisis — and our land management crisis — is killing them.”
Eli, 34, had always thought his outdoorsy kid brother, gone now for years, would become the tree farmer. Fate decided otherwise. Now, Eli must learn to be the farmer his father became after decades tilling the soil.Mike had taken over the family farm in 1978, when he planted his first rows of conifers in what had once been a pear orchard. Two years later, he met Phyllis, a nurse and single mother of two girls.
Then, one day, Mike’s arm started twitching, and Phyllis noticed his shoulder drop. He was diagnosed with ALS. Working the farm, as he had for decades, became a mounting challenge. to “tree farmer.” Phyllis, overwhelmed with joy and relief, broke down in tears. Tree farming was “in Mike’s blood,” she said, “and I think it’s in Eli’s blood.”
In July, Gov. Gavin Newsom asked Californians to voluntarily cut water usage by 15%. The El Dorado County Irrigation District issued its own request to customers, encouraging the same. But the McGees, like an overwhelmingMcGee Christmas Tree Farm. A study Stewart published last year found that severe fires, burning at higher temperatures across larger swaths of land, aren’t just wiping out conifers in the immediate term; they are making it harder for California’s most prolific trees to reproduce in the aftermath — especially during a drought.
Within days, the Caldor fire raced toward their second farm in Grizzly Flats. The farm was a gift to Eli and Cory from their grandparents. The trees Mike grew there put Eli through college. “The old Italian style,” he said, laughing. “They’re a major part of my celebrating the season. If they weren’t there, I would be heartbroken.”
“It seems like it’s worth it,” he said, finally. “I just moved here and started doing this. I don’t want to give up on something already.”