‘We try to make it a very family event’: New England farms open for Christmas tree season – The Boston Globe

Most will open to the public this weekend, some for just a couple of days. The selling season is shorter this year, thanks to a late Thanksgiving. Although heavy rains and a late spring frost recently decimated seedlings for several popular Christmas tree varieties in New Hampshire and parts of New England are experiencing drought conditions, farmers are adapting.

Phillips, a retired software engineer, said his family expects to sell about 300 trees this season from their small 5-acre tree farm. They aim to keep their prices on the low end, at $65 for a tree, and round out the experience with hot cocoa, cappuccinos, homemade cookies, candy canes, and a scavenger hunt for the kids, he said.

“We try to make it a very family event,” he added.

Nigel Manley, program director for the New Hampshire/Vermont Christmas Tree Association, said people have a lot of nostalgia wrapped up in the ritual of choosing their own tree and cutting it down, especially for those who associate fond holiday memories with the distinct scent of a real tree inside a warm home.

“People want to hold onto that,” he said.

Manley, who co-owns South Farm Christmas Trees in the little town of Bethlehem, N.H., on the northern edge of the White Mountains region, said he had initially planned to open the farm’s retail operation after Thanksgiving, but ultimately decided to do so the weekend before, as Thanksgiving fell so late this year.

The farm usually sells about 800 trees per year, Manley said. That includes 200 sponsored through the “Trees for Troops” program, which delivers donated trees to US military bases, he said. The farm also sells about 350 trees wholesale to retailers in southern New Hampshire and in Massachusetts, and the rest are sold to in-person consumers.

Manley said the typical price to claim and cut an average 7.5-foot tree can run from about $65 to $90 or higher in some areas.

“It’s like real estate,” he said. “It depends on location. If you’re close to a lot more people and you sell a lot more trees, the chances are they’ll be more expensive because that’s just the way it is.”

Early signs suggest consumer demand is “really strong” this year, though this weekend’s boom or bust for the retail business is heavily weather-dependent, Manley said. His farm sits north of Franconia Notch, so severe wintry weather can snarl traffic and block would-be customers from reaching him.

Unlike last year, when some conifer species were in short supply or even unavailable from the New Hampshire State Forest Nursery, this year’s extremely dry autumn has prompted some businesses, including Tonry Tree Farm in Hampton Falls, N.H., in the Seacoast area, to warn buyers to take extra care to keep their trees watered and a safe distance from heat sources in their homes.

The impacts of drought or excessive rainfall in any given year will vary from one farm to the next and primarily affect newly planted trees more than those with established root structures, according to Manley, who recently retired from a decades-long post with the Society for the Protection of New Hampshire Forests.

Farmers who experience a particularly bad year for their seedlings can often “catch up” by planting additional trees in subsequent years, since those that people cut down each winter are typically five to 10 years old, Manley said. Even so, farmers here in New England and elsewhere are introducing irrigation systems and mulching techniques to improve the performance of their seedling crops as they adapt to climate change, he said.

Farm-grown trees aren’t the only option for families seeking their Yuletide fix.

The US Department of Agriculture’s Forest Service sells permits online for just $5 to those who wish to find and fell a holiday tree from certain areas in a national forest of their choice, including New Hampshire’s White Mountain National Forest or Vermont’s Green Mountain National Forest.

Manley said he has mixed feelings about consumers plucking trees from the forest. Such specimens won’t be “nicely shaped and groomed” like those that have grown under the watchful eye of a farmer who mows, fertilizes, and prunes throughout the year, he said.

Besides, many buyers appreciate the full experience that comes with stopping by a family business to select a locally grown agricultural product, he said.

For those thinking about swinging by a Christmas tree farm this season, Manley has a few important tips:

First, before heading to a farm — there are hundreds listed on the National Christmas Tree Association website — double check to confirm its hours of operation are up to date. (Nothing ruins a family road trip quite like arriving to find Walley World is closed.)

Second, think about any preferences you may have for a particular tree species and height, as well as any additional services you may wish to use. Many farms wrap trees to protect them for the ride home, and some use shakers to reduce the amount of loose needles and debris.

“It just depends on the farm,” Manley said.

Third, come prepared to walk around outside and actually cut down a tree. While the family at Grandpa’s Farm in Loudon said they make hand saws and sleds available, they note you may also bring your own tools — but remember that Christmas tree farms typically prohibit patrons from using power tools.

“Most insurance companies don’t want a lot of people running around with chain saws,” Manley said.

Steven Porter can be reached at steven.porter@globe.com. Follow him @reporterporter.