Fire Department cancels Christmas tree fundraiser

For the third year in a row, California’s ongoing drought has forced the Boulder Creek Fire Department to cancel its annual Christmas tree fundraiser.

“This year, we’re not selling the trees because we were not able to find a supplier,” said Chief Kevin McClish. “We went all the way as far as Oregon to try and find one but the drought has affected the trees up there so much that they can’t supply.”

The fire department’s Christmas tree sales usually raise around $8,000, money that is used to pay for EMS supplies, rescue equipment and major purchases like an ambulance.

Local Christmas tree farms are feeling the squeeze as well.

Most of the 45 acres of trees at Crest Ranch in the Santa Cruz mountains have rebounded from the drought. The trees that haven’t are being pulled out.

“We have been planting 3,000 plus trees a year, trying to catch up, which is a good thing for planning but we have brought in trees from Oregon,” said Louise Moran, owner of Crest Ranch.

A wet 2015 helped some, but it takes five to seven years for a tree to become fully grown. Crest Ranch had to bring in 200 trees.

“We were lucky enough to find them and have them shipped in. We’re actually getting our shipment in today,” said Moran.

The Boulder Creek Fire Department will miss out on sales, but the chief hopes the passage of Measure N this month will help.

“We’ve been able to save funds from past fundraisers and we’re also looking at doing additional fundraisers to take the place of what we would normally raise from the Christmas tree sales,” said McClish.