Californians shopping for Christmas trees may not see the quality they have in past years because of the severe drought the west has been experiencing, NBC Los Angeles reported.

Tree farms across the Golden State are warning customers that their products might not be as full as they ought to be. Trees that measure more than 5 feet, in particular, may show signs of stress as they did not get much water or growth over the last year, the network detailed.

"A lot of them are fine, but a lot of dry spots," said shopper Joel Meyer, who was out with his family to pick out a Christmas tree on Friday in the Santa Cruz Mountains. "Just gotta pick and choose and clear them out and go for it," he added.

Most of its trees are fine and healthy, the experts at Frosty's Tree Farm above Los Gatos insisted, though they admitted the drought did have repercussions this year. Johnny Cerrito, one of the owners of the business, recommends putting trees in water right after purchasing them.

"Just make sure to keep it watered in the first week or two," Cerrito told NBC Los Angeles. "That'll absorb most of the water. So they really do need to maintain the water."

Consumers will be spared most of the negative effects this year, agreed Rick Dungey, a spokesman for the National Christmas Tree Association. Dungey told the Los Angeles Times that the drought is tough on individual farms, however.

Quality can be affected by lack of rain, he admitted, but shoppers should not worry too much because the trees available each holiday season are at least 6 years old, Dungey added.

"It takes a number of years to get a marketable product," he said. "With too little rain you can get slow growth rates, but mature trees are hardy and durable."

Californians also have fewer choices as there are fewer and fewer Christmas tree growers, the Los Angeles Times noted. Today, there are 385 Christmas tree farms in California, down from 400 in 2007, according to 2012 agricultural census data. Of those farms, only 301 cut and sell trees, the newspaper detailed.

Many of the Christmas trees sold in California, however, are imported from states that have plenty of rain, the Los Angeles Times concluded.