From the Archives
A Tree Farm for Christmas
by Charlie Hancock
When I was little my family would always make an annual pilgrimage to our local Christmas tree farm to select the perfect tree for that year. We’d spend over an hour walking the rows, looking for the one that was just the right height, the perfect shape, and had the fullest, greenest foliage. After a careful and meticulous process we’d choose just the right one, and call over our local Christmas tree farmer to make the cut that would let us take our prize home, where it would be festooned with bulbs and ornaments, each one carrying a special memory and place in our heart.
Back then I took for granted that there would always be a magical place where acres and acres of perfectly lined trees would be waiting for our arrival each winter, but today I understand that there’s a lot of hard work behind the scenes to make that magic happen. Most agricultural or horticultural endeavors are intensive in planning, labor and capital, and Christmas trees are certainly no exception.
As with most things in the life of a tree, one must first consider the soil. I remember a family friend in real estate once saying that what matters was location, location, location. One could say the same thing about growing Christmas trees. Christmas trees are grown best on gently sloping soils that promote good internal drainage, and are relatively deep (ideally 3-4 feet from bedrock). Soil pH is another consideration, as most of the preferred species grown in this region prefer a range of 5.0 to 6.0.
Once you have the right spot, a Christmas tree farmer must determine what to plant. Across the United States about 12 species of pines, spruces and firs are sold as Christmas trees, with preferences tending to vary geographically. In the east, preferences range from standards such as the Balsam fir, to the more exotic and expensive Blue spruce. Fraser fir and Scotch pine have also been historically grown in the east, while Douglas fir, Noble fir and Grand fir are more common varieties in the west. Each species has its own aesthetic (and olfactory) character, as well as characteristics that affect their ease of growth, and their longevity once they’re in your living room. In general, pines are the most susceptible to disease and require the most pruning to shape them into the hallmark trees generally sought after; however once cut they tend to hold their needles better than spruces or firs. Spruces shed most readily, but are hardier trees that require little maintenance. Firs tend to be somewhere in between, and are the most common species that you’ll find in most of New England.
The next step is planning the layout of the field. Evergreen seedlings, which are generally two years old and about eight to ten inches tall when you plant them, are commonly spaced at 5-by-5 feet (which will allow for more than 1,700 trees per acre) or at 6-by-6 feet (allowing for about 1,200 trees per acre). While this can seem wide open when the trees are first planted, they fill in quickly.
Once they’re in the ground you’re only just getting started. Christmas trees take around ten years to reach commercial maturity, and there’s plenty of work to be done in the mean-time. You can’t just put your feet up on the porch and watch them grow! Even newly planted trees need careful attention, as double tops must be cut off in the first couple years to avoid the development of a multiple stemmed tree that will have a hard time finding a home. As the trees continue to grow they must be sheared (pruned) to ensure insure the full conical shape consumers like to see in their living room. Starting in early summer the tips of each whorl of branches around the trunk need to be trimmed back. This diverts the tree energy away from upward growth and causes the tree to bush out and become fuller instead. Careful shearing takes time, lasting all summer on a large Christmas tree farm.
In addition to the shearing of the trees, the rows must be mowed or brush hogged, and species that thrive in open fields such as bindweed, vetch, bedstraw and goldenrod must be kept at bay as they compete for sunlight, water and nutrients. This is especially important when the trees are young are more susceptible to competition. Insect and disease attack are also an issue that needs to be addressed on the Christmas tree farms, with bugs like gall midge or balsam twig aphid, or needle cast fungi that can leave a tree stark naked, never see a bulb or a bobble.
And none of this comes cheap! Equipment on the Christmas tree farm includes everything from an auger for planting and shears for shaping, to a tractor for mowing and a chainsaw for cutting, let alone the rest of the equipment you’ll find at a commercial operation like the netting spool that helps you get that neatly packaged evergreen on the top of your Subaru or in the back of your pick-up. Between the planting stock and the equipment involved, starting a large commercial Christmas tree farm can run in the tens of thousands of dollars, and money doesn’t grow on trees.
So next time you head off to the Christmas tree farm keep in mind that your beautiful Balsam, or your fantastic Fraser, is only the result of years of love and labor. And remember as you search you that perfect Christmas tree that, really, all Christmas trees are perfect.