Eleven days before Christmas, an outdoor firepit crackles next to the gift shop at South Farm in Bethlehem. A speaker plays carols as cars roll into the small parking lot.
Nigel Manley, bundled up in wool pants and a red and green hat with a festive pom pom, runs the show. He’s a big deal in the Christmas tree world: he’s on the board of the national Christmas tree association, and a leader in several industry groups in New England.
He fell into the job while working at The Rocks. He was working for a cattle farmer, helping with a variety of jobs. But then, the farm started growing Christmas trees.
“Basically I could either do a Christmas tree farm or not have a job. So Christmas tree farming seemed to be like a good idea.”
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He loved it enough to start his own farm in 2014. Nowadays, he says he sings “Jingle Bells” all year round.
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Christmas trees grow at South Farm in Bethlehem.
Mara Hoplamazian / NHPR
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Manley sells about three quarters of his trees wholesale. The other quarter are available for people to cut themselves.
Mara Hoplamazian / NHPR
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Liliana and Gene Farr, right, chose a Korean fir tree for their Christmas tree this year.
Mara Hoplamazian / NHPR
Manley plants about 900 trees a year. And he likes to experiment with new species, branching out from the Frasers and Balsams that have dominated the Christmas market for years.
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Several years ago, he happened upon the Korean fir. They have a silvery-blue sheen, because their needles twist as they grow, showing their undersides. And they smell citrusy, like oranges.
Manley says they’re also tough to prune; they don’t always grow straight up. So in 2021, he started planting a hybrid version pollinated with Balsam pollen.
“They’ve got the beautiful color. They’re growing well,” he said. “They’re easier to prune by far.”
Now, those hybrids are a third of the trees he’s planting each season. They grow fast. People like how they look and smell. And they’ve also had an unexpected benefit. They’re more resilient to the kinds of changes he’s seeing on his land, as warmer temperatures and wet summers cause trouble.
“We’re losing more Fraser firs because of the wetness, phytophthora root rot in particular,” he said.
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While Manley didn’t set out to find a Christmas tree that could thrive better in changing conditions, the hybrid firs just might fit the bill.
“It seems like in wetter conditions they’ll put up with more water. And just based on how they’re growing and knowing it has got warmer, I say they do really well in it,” he said.
Korean fir trees have had a difficult time in South Korea recently, where they make up a forest on Hallasan Mountain on Jeju Island. There, National Geographic reports they’re threatened by heat, erosion and increasing extreme storms.
Manley’s own Christmas tree, a Korean fir, is decorated with ornaments collected over the years.
In New Hampshire, though, the business for hybrid Korean/Balsam fir trees is thriving.
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Jay Weir, who owns Weir Tree Farms in Colebrook, says he’s ramped up production of seedlings, which he sells to growers across the country, including Manley.
“A lot of people really like the way these trees are performing,” he said. “They’ll grow in just about any type of soil, very resistant to root rots and pests.”
They don’t seem to be as affected by drought or wet weather as other firs, he said. And though there are a limited number of people selling seeds, he thinks they’ll become a bigger part of the industry moving forward.
Most of Manley’s trees are sold wholesale, and this year that included the hybrids. The rest stay at the farm for people to cut down themselves.
Gene and Liliana Farr picked out one of the first Korean fir trees Manley planted. They liked the citrus smell and the silvery color. It was their first time cutting their own tree, and they said they were excited to decorate it with birds and other animal ornaments.
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The tree is beautiful. So beautiful, Manley actually chose the same one to put it in his own house. But he didn’t cut it down fast enough; the Farrs beat him to it.
“It was just the way that it was formed, I liked it. Because of the challenge with trying to prune these, to me it’s like it takes something into the house that’s taken a lot of effort,” he said.
An effort now for his customers to appreciate as they unwrap presents, under brightly shining Christmas lights and lovely branches.
Ed. Note: If this was you and you are interested, please email [email protected] so I can put you in touch with OP.
“Dear PoPville,
I was biking home from a doctor appointment a little before noon on Friday, and stopped at a red light on New Hampshire & L st nw. There was a woman across the street who was looking fine in her dark blue (I think they were) scrubs. I might be crazy, but it felt like we kept checking each other out. By the third time,
if we were in a romcom, one of us would have waved. Sorry I didn’t, but if you are reading this and date men, reach out to the Prince if you are interested in that man on the bike. Have a great weekend!”
Ed. Note: If this is you, please email [email protected] so I can put you in touch with OP. PoPville is not affiliated with either party, please proceed with any potential connection at your own risk using caution as you would any online encounter. For those curious about past missed connections, many have been made and when possible I’ll try to update when/if more are made.
A New Hampshire motorcyclist who had been missing since the Fourth of July was found dead in Shelburne late Thursday night.
State police say they received a request from the Berlin Police Department just after 7:30 p.m. Thursday for help locating 41-year-old Wesley Grondin — the Berlin man was last seen riding his motorcycle on Saturday, July 4, and had been reported missing.
Troopers received a call a couple of hours later, around 10:10 p.m. Thursday, from a concerned resident who had been out looking for Grondin along Route 2 in Shelburne. The person told police they had found Grondin dead, along with his Harley Davidson.
According to state police, a preliminary investigation determined that Grondin was riding his Harley on Route 2 westbound in Shelburne when, for reasons that remain under investigation, he crossed over into the opposing lane, struck a post, and came to a final rest in the wood line.
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The crash is believed to have occurred just before midnight on July 4. At this time, police say there’s no indication that another vehicle or person was involved.
All aspects of the crash remain under investigation, however. Anyone with information that may assist investigators is asked to contact Trooper Hunter Newsham at Hunter.P.Newsham@dos.nh.gov.
KEENE, N.H. — A Nashua woman who had a town clerk falsely certify a marriage that never happened so she could claim her late partner’s property has been sentenced to seven days in jail, placed on probation and ordered to repay thousands to his estate.
Attorney General John Formella said Wendy Leedberg‑Snow, 60, turned to Winchester Town Clerk Jim Tetreault after the death of her longtime partner, Eric Leedberg — who was born in Lowell — using the falsified license to pose as his spouse and lay claim to property from his estate, an effort prosecutors describe as an attempt to rewrite the couple’s history for financial gain.
“This case involved a deliberate effort to manipulate official government records and exploit the death of a loved one for personal financial gain,” Formella said in a press release announcing the sentencing. “Our vital records system depends on honesty and integrity, and those who seek to corrupt that system will be held accountable. I want to thank the investigators and prosecutors whose work ensured justice for the victim’s family.”
According to Leedberg’s obituary, he was 53 when he died on Oct. 12, 2023, following a two‑year battle with cancer.
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In the obituary, Leedberg-Snow is described as his “significant other.”
Prosecutors said Leedberg‑Snow moved quickly after his death, relying on Tetreault’s signature to fabricate a marriage that never occurred and position herself as Leedberg’s surviving spouse.
Tetreault, who was a New Hampshire justice of the peace at the time, falsely signed the marriage license claiming he had officiated the couple’s wedding. He later admitted he never performed any ceremony for Leedberg‑Snow and Leedberg and had no personal knowledge of them ever being married.
Leedberg‑Snow used the fraudulent certificate to obtain property from Leedberg’s estate, including a pickup truck and trailer, and later attempted to influence a witness connected to the scheme.
Leedberg‑Snow pleaded guilty in Cheshire County Superior Court in Keene to felony counts of solicitation to commit vital records fraud, title fraud, theft by misapplication of property and witness tampering.
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In addition to her seven‑day jail term, she must serve two years of probation, pay $4,600 in restitution, return the truck and trailer to Leedberg’s estate and comply with a suspended three‑and‑a‑half‑ to seven‑year prison sentence, which means the sentence only takes effect if she violates the conditions of her probation.
Tetreault, who continues to serve as Winchester’s town clerk and “fully cooperated with the State’s investigation,” according to prosecutors, pleaded guilty in April to notarial misconduct, a Class A misdemeanor. As part of a negotiated plea, prosecutors dropped a felony charge of vital records fraud. He was sentenced to 90 days in the house of corrections, all suspended for two years on good behavior, and ordered to pay a $1,000 fine plus a $240 penalty assessment.
He resigned his commissions as a justice of the peace and bail commissioner and agreed not to seek recommissioning as a justice of the peace or notary public during the two‑year suspension period.
Tetreault could not be reached for comment at his office number.
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