About US
FARM HISTORY.
Our family got out of full-time farming back in the 1950s. Steep hillsides and places with wet or shallow soil got planted as a reforestation project by the kids. As those trees got about 7 feet tall, neighbors asked if they could have some as Christmas trees. So we sold some of the best looking ones. As time went by, and as the kids grew up and went their own ways, the trees became forest. In the 1990s we got the idea to start again, this time with deliberate pruning and shearing so that we could sell every tree. Now we have thousands, in different lots.
SPECIES.
We have experimented with many species, and we have paid the price of choosing the wrong ones! Fraser firs are nice, but our deer killed every one either by eating or antler-rubbing. We had a thousand Douglas Firs too, but as they got to the perfect height, a disease swept through and we had to burn them. Blue Spruces too were a disaster - they all died of unknown causes. We have a few Concolor Firs, but they are not doing very well. White Spruce and Norway spruce are our most successful species- they grow very fast after they get about 4 feet high. They shape well and, are actually hard to kill! Deer hate them. Balsam Firs are native to the area, and they thrive here, but our deer eat them. See "POLLARDING" below to find out how we deal with that problem. We have some Meyer Spruce, which are unique: they resemble Blue Spruce. And lastly, we have Good Old Scotch Pine, once the most popular species, they grow the fastest by far. We have a lot of self-seeded ones that we decided to shape up. They'll be available in in limited numbers, 2027.
POLLARDING (REGROWTH FROM LIVING STUMPS).
Our Balsams have been devastated by deer, (either by eating new growth, or antler rubbing). Some have been killed, and many more reduced to bare sticks by the deer. Fortunately, if the deer leave enough green needles, these sticks keep strengthening their root systems, and eventually put up a vigorous "leader" with a vengeance. If the new leader grows above the Browse Line, we can make a beautiful Christmas Tree out of the top. And if the bottom continues to produce greenery and get stronger, we can grow many trees from that stump. We've been experimenting with this process on the Balsams, and it usually works very well. Pollarding is entirely dependent on leaving a healthy stump! This is where YOU enter the picture. PLEASE CUT WHERE INDICATED, and leave the stump with with all its green growth intact! This ensures regrowth of a new leader, and the more green the stump, the faster we can regrow a new Christmas Tree on top! We have many stumps that have produced two trees, and some that have given us three. We've had so much success with pollarding that we're using it on the spruces too, and we plan to eventually become an all-Pollard farm. Bambi And Co. have cost us up to 7years of growth on these trees! Pollarding is the only way we can recoup our loss!
There are many benefits to pollarding, both for us and for YOU! Pollarding:
https://modernfarmer.com/2022/12/stump-culture-christmas-tree/
WEED and PEST CONTROL. We mow around our little seedlings in spring and early summer to give them a good start against grass and weeds. We let the weeds grow in late summer and early fall. This give insects and other pests something to live on, instead of our crop trees. Then we mow thoroughly again in the fall. This gives you easy and convenient access to the trees. We are not certified organic, but our practices would almost qualify. We do occasionally use small amounts of hand-sprayed herbicide on weeds that directly threaten seedlings. We do so in spring before flowers are out, so as to be no threat to bees and other pollinators. We let milkweeds thrive in July and August to provide sustenance for the Monarch Butterflies. We are now mixing species in the rows. This further reduces the spread of disease.
MACHINERY. We mow using old fashioned light-weight garden tractors or walk-behind mowers. This is economical, and their light weight does not compact the soil. We have a motor-operated shearing machine, but we use it only when radically re-shaping trees that have been severely damaged by deer or snow loading. We use a chainsaw to cut off stumps at ground level. Shearing (shaping) is done with hand tools. SEE our PHOTO GALLERY BELOW
Our family got out of full-time farming back in the 1950s. Steep hillsides and places with wet or shallow soil got planted as a reforestation project by the kids. As those trees got about 7 feet tall, neighbors asked if they could have some as Christmas trees. So we sold some of the best looking ones. As time went by, and as the kids grew up and went their own ways, the trees became forest. In the 1990s we got the idea to start again, this time with deliberate pruning and shearing so that we could sell every tree. Now we have thousands, in different lots.
SPECIES.
We have experimented with many species, and we have paid the price of choosing the wrong ones! Fraser firs are nice, but our deer killed every one either by eating or antler-rubbing. We had a thousand Douglas Firs too, but as they got to the perfect height, a disease swept through and we had to burn them. Blue Spruces too were a disaster - they all died of unknown causes. We have a few Concolor Firs, but they are not doing very well. White Spruce and Norway spruce are our most successful species- they grow very fast after they get about 4 feet high. They shape well and, are actually hard to kill! Deer hate them. Balsam Firs are native to the area, and they thrive here, but our deer eat them. See "POLLARDING" below to find out how we deal with that problem. We have some Meyer Spruce, which are unique: they resemble Blue Spruce. And lastly, we have Good Old Scotch Pine, once the most popular species, they grow the fastest by far. We have a lot of self-seeded ones that we decided to shape up. They'll be available in in limited numbers, 2027.
POLLARDING (REGROWTH FROM LIVING STUMPS).
Our Balsams have been devastated by deer, (either by eating new growth, or antler rubbing). Some have been killed, and many more reduced to bare sticks by the deer. Fortunately, if the deer leave enough green needles, these sticks keep strengthening their root systems, and eventually put up a vigorous "leader" with a vengeance. If the new leader grows above the Browse Line, we can make a beautiful Christmas Tree out of the top. And if the bottom continues to produce greenery and get stronger, we can grow many trees from that stump. We've been experimenting with this process on the Balsams, and it usually works very well. Pollarding is entirely dependent on leaving a healthy stump! This is where YOU enter the picture. PLEASE CUT WHERE INDICATED, and leave the stump with with all its green growth intact! This ensures regrowth of a new leader, and the more green the stump, the faster we can regrow a new Christmas Tree on top! We have many stumps that have produced two trees, and some that have given us three. We've had so much success with pollarding that we're using it on the spruces too, and we plan to eventually become an all-Pollard farm. Bambi And Co. have cost us up to 7years of growth on these trees! Pollarding is the only way we can recoup our loss!
There are many benefits to pollarding, both for us and for YOU! Pollarding:
- Makes it easier and more comfortable for you to cut.
- Maintains greenery close to ground for small wildlife habitat. Small birds love the extra-thick growth on pollard stumps.
- Shades the ground around the stump to minimize weed growth.
- Save us time because the root system of the big stump feeds the new growth much faster then the tiny roots of a seedling can.
- Saves us time, effort, and fuel that we'd otherwise use in planting and mowing.
- Stump branches protect the main tree from antler rubbing and Bambi snacking.
- it allows us to replace each tree in a shorter time.
- The bare "waist" of the tree allows sunlight to feed the stump limbs while allowing the upper tree to ventilate, which reduces fungus and moss growth.
- Keeps our prices competitive for all the reasons above.
https://modernfarmer.com/2022/12/stump-culture-christmas-tree/
WEED and PEST CONTROL. We mow around our little seedlings in spring and early summer to give them a good start against grass and weeds. We let the weeds grow in late summer and early fall. This give insects and other pests something to live on, instead of our crop trees. Then we mow thoroughly again in the fall. This gives you easy and convenient access to the trees. We are not certified organic, but our practices would almost qualify. We do occasionally use small amounts of hand-sprayed herbicide on weeds that directly threaten seedlings. We do so in spring before flowers are out, so as to be no threat to bees and other pollinators. We let milkweeds thrive in July and August to provide sustenance for the Monarch Butterflies. We are now mixing species in the rows. This further reduces the spread of disease.
MACHINERY. We mow using old fashioned light-weight garden tractors or walk-behind mowers. This is economical, and their light weight does not compact the soil. We have a motor-operated shearing machine, but we use it only when radically re-shaping trees that have been severely damaged by deer or snow loading. We use a chainsaw to cut off stumps at ground level. Shearing (shaping) is done with hand tools. SEE our PHOTO GALLERY BELOW