Why are some Christmas trees dying faster in Houston?
HOUSTON (KTRK) -- From the tree lot to the house, Courtney White couldn't wait to get her Christmas tree inside.
"It was gorgeous," White said. "In fact, it was my most favorite tree ever."
A week later, a lot has changed.
"It's actually bare of ornaments because I got too concerned my ornaments were going to fall off, and I didn't want to lose some special ones," White said.
She's not alone. Janet Johnson bought her tree after Thanksgiving and it is drying out too.
"It was perfect," Johnson said. "There was no bald spots. It was very full, it was tall."
A few weeks later, it's no longer full. Johnson said the tree is drooping and is rapidly losing its needles.
These two customers are not the only ones facing issues and tree suppliers say they have heard from other customers too.
One business told us, "We have talked to all of our suppliers, we've talked to other growers we don't necessarily buy from, and other people in the industry and it's not an issue of a bad crop."
Instead, the business says running the heat during the past few weeks inside people's homes is ruining the trees.
"Trees don't like dry air, so the tree gets dehydrated," the company said. It's an unusual situation that will certainly make for an interesting holiday season.
"I've never had to take my Christmas tree down before Christmas," White said. "That's a little crazy to me."
