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CHIPLEY – Residents of northwestern Florida who are hoping to bring down their own trees this year may be forced to get one before they leave because of Hurricane Michael and other factors.
Even before the storm, there was only a handful of Christmas tree plantations in the area. Whispering Pines Christmas Tree Farm in Milton, Strickland Christmas Tree Farm in DeFuniak Springs, Powell Tree Farm in Sneads and Maphis Nursery and Tree Farm in Washington County are the only four establishments in the Panhandle Group.
Carrie Maphis passed her family's Christmas tree farm on October 11 and was horrified by what she saw.
Maphis planted 1,300 trees for this year 's season and the family was excited that customers are beginning to flock as Thanksgiving Day approaches. This excitement has faded after the storm.
"All 1,300 trees were lying on the ground," Maphis said. "It was awesome to see, you look at your loss and potential loss, but you are grateful for your life.We were thankful that our homes were not destroyed."
It is estimated that 100 million trees are planted each year worldwide, of which 30 million will adorn homes in the United States. Florida producers represent a fraction of this market, with only 18 farms registered with the Florida Christmas Association.
The Maphis family said that after the storm, he had two options left after Michael: trying to save the trees or accept the loss.
"We are one of the only remaining Christmas tree farms (in the region)," Maphis said. "That was part of our decision to save our trees, so our customers in Fort Walton Beach and Panama City arrive in the country for the day and they have to cut down their own trees and create those memories.
"We are trying to bring back the normality that everyone needs here," she added.
In order to save the trees, the Maphis family worked hard to put them back up and install them. The rain, Maphis says, has helped a lot in replanting and flowering trees.
Still, about 350 trees were lost, she said.
Mike Kelly, owner of the Whispering Pines Christmas Tree Preserve in Milton, said he would also be very thin on the trees this season. Although Kelly said the farm weathered the storm, they were forced to reduce the size of their land to allow their soil to recover.
"We will probably have about 1,000 loans for the market on Thanksgiving Day," Kelly said. "We have been here for over 30 years and have 35 acres for Christmas trees."
Strickland's Christmas tree farm in DeFuniak Springs said she was somewhat affected by the storm, but did not want to give details. However, they said the farm would be open for the season.
Similar to Maphis Tree Farm, the Powell Tree Farm in Sneads was also devastated by Hurricane Michael.
In addition to the damage done to their own home, homeowners Mark and Kay Powell said they lost their gift shop, warehouse and barn. All the Christmas trees were inclined, but luckily they only lost about 20.
"We take it just day-to-day," Kay said. "It will be a slow process to rebuild the structures, we will open the Thanksgiving weekend anyway, people will look for a sense of normalcy, so if our customers want to come, we want to be open to them."
Maphis said it would take about four years to fully recover from the storm, but they plan to continue selling Christmas trees for years to come. The farm celebrated its 20th anniversary this year.
"It's an ironic birthday gift from Mother Nature," joked Maphis. "It's a tradition for many families for 20 years. They took their children, and now their children are taking their children. We are a staple in the community. We thought it would be nice for people to know that we are still here and we still have trees. "
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