Trees could cost a fa-la-la-la-lot more this ChristmasDate: 11/16/2021 WESTERN MASS. – The Christmas season is fast approaching and nearly synonymous with the holiday is the Christmas Tree. While artificial trees are common, finding the perfect live tree and bringing it home is a time-honored tradition that many families still embrace. This year, however, a shortage of trees may make that tradition a little more difficult and a lot pricier.
Reminder Publishing reached out to several area tree farms and sellers to find out what challenges the industry is facing and what people can expect this holiday season.
Granny’s Place
Agawam
For 13 years, Rick Seldomridge, owner of Granny’s Place Farm, has imported pre-cut Christmas trees from Maine. “I only do balsam trees – nothing else,” he said.
Due to the ongoing shortages, Seldomridge said there has been an increase in overall prices and trucking. “I usually have my trees by now but [they] can’t find truckers.” In past years, he said the trees he sold averaged between $45 to $50. This year, prices have doubled.
Seldomridge said he is expecting a tree shipment prior to Thanksgiving. Typically, trees are sold all the way through December.
To augment the universal tree, Granny’s Place offers tree flocking, or “painting,” as explained by Seldomridge. If someone wants their tree painted white, red, black, purple or any other color of the rainbow, Granny’s Place can do it.
In addition to the trees, Granny’s Place sells both regular and flocked wreaths, cemetery boxes, and kissing balls made with all-natural pine. All of the brush and berries used in these decorations are hand cut by Seldomridge and his team.
Granny’s Place is located at 844 Main St. Their hours of operation are Monday through Friday, 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.; and Saturday and Sunday, 9:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. Readers can reach them at 786-9366. If someone chose to visit on the weekends, they may even find Santa Claus at the farm.
Radebaugh’s Christmas Tree Farm
Belchertown
Dave Radebaugh, Radebaugh Christmas Tree Farm’s owner, said all his trees are grown on site.
“We do not bring in any trees; I have had bad luck with precut trees I have bought before so I just grow my own, that way I can stand behind them,” he said.
In terms of stock, Radebaugh said most of his trees are Fraser fir.
“It is mainly Fraser fir and then our second largest amount would be Colorado Blue Spruce, and then we have a mix of other types of fir trees. Our main crop is Fraser fir, they are the more popular tree, they last the longest and they have heavier branches for heavier decorations,” he said.
Along with growing trees on site, Radebaugh said all his wreaths are handmade as well.
Because of supply chain issues, Radebaugh said prices increased by about $5 per tree and $1 per wreath.
“I went up because of the economy right now, everything is so expensive for me. I went up on everything this year,” he said.
Radebaugh’s Christmas tree season kicks off on Nov. 26.
“We open the Friday after Thanksgiving, I know people would like to get a tree the weekend before that, but I am so busy making my own wreaths I cannot open up early,” he said.
While Radebaugh also ran another farm in Wilbraham for 50 years, he said he had to shut it down.
“That one I ran for 50 years, and I just cannot handle two farms myself anymore because I do the majority of the work myself, it was just too much,” he said.
Radebaugh said he is anticipating a tree shortage this year.
“I do really think there is going to be a shortage of trees and that first weekend after Thanksgiving there are going to be a lot of people searching for trees. If the weather is nice like last year, it was incredible with the amount of people that came through, and I expect it to be even busier this year,” he said.
As with 2020, Radebaugh said he expects to see plenty of first-time tree buyers this year.
“Last year I heard there was about a 20 percent increase in live Christmas tree sales. A lot of families were looking for something to do and because of COVID [-19], there were not many activities around. With Christmas trees they could get out with the whole family, and I had a lot of people who said they had not done a live tree before,” he said.
In anticipation of a busy start to the season, Radebaugh said he hired two additional workers for the weekend after Thanksgiving.
Radebaugh’s Christmas Tree Farm is located at 191 Franklin St. Hours are Sat., Sun. and Nov. 26 from 9 a.m.- 4:30 p.m.; Mon. - Fri. 12- 4:30 p.m. The farm can be reached at 455-4119.
Paul Bunyan’s Farm
Chicopee
Featuring their specialty Fraser fir trees, Paul Bunyan’s Farm has already experienced a busy Christmas tree season. Owner Susan Lopes revealed that there are no more trees available to tag in their field, but the farm will be selling cut trees starting Nov. 20. However, it’s likely that Paul Bunyan’s supply will run out before the end of the Christmas season.
“We will run out of trees very early this year. My prediction is very early in December, and there’s nothing we can do about it,” said Lopes. Along with offering Christmas trees, Paul Bunyan also offers a seasonal shop that sells an eclectic mixture of decorations for the season.
Paul Bunyan’s is open seven days a week from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Paul Bunyan’s is located at 500 Fuller Rd. In Chicopee and can be reached at 594-2144.
Bailey’s Squire Farm
East Longmeadow
“Our motto has always been, ‘Where family traditions grow,’” said Joshua Bailey, owner of Bailey’s Squire Farm, 583 Somers Rd., East Longmeadow.
Squire Farm was owned by Bailey’s uncle in the 80s. After his death, Bailey took over the farm. He planted saplings eight years ago and it will be two more years before they are ready to harvest. In the meantime, he has been working with a family farm in Canada to supply his customers with their yearly tree.
A lot of those families were disappointed in 2020 when a shortage of Christmas trees first began to impact sellers.
“We sold out in 10 days.” Bailey said. “We had people showing up, surprised that the trees were gone.”
Bailey explained that the root of the problem goes back a decade. “My understanding is that 10 years ago, lots of people got out of the business and weren’t planting as much,” he said. Trees take roughly 10 years to reach heights suitable for use at Christmas décor. Coupled with nation-wide shipping issues, it is a perfect storm to disrupt the industry.
This year, Bailey said the problem has grown. “We were severely limited in what we were allowed to buy. We were given an allowance,“ he said. “From what we hear, the majority of places around here have been shorted.”
The farm’s website states that trees between 10 and 12-foot tall will be in very limited supply. Bailey expects the 650 trees he ordered to be gone in about 10 days again. Bailey contacted four other tree sources to supplement the supply, but was told that he would have had to order last year.
Not only are trees not available, the ones that are have skyrocketed in price. The cost of trees from wholesalers is up about 25 percent, Bailey said. Rather than include the cost of shipping the trees, as had been the case in the past, buyers have to pay for that separately.
“Essentially, what we were told this year is that they tried to mitigate the cost last year, but they can’t do it again,” Bailey said. “It’s going to be tough. We’re going to have to pass on as much [of the cost] as we can, while still remaining reasonable. We don’t want people to get sticker shock.”
Bailey’s Squire Farm, can be reached at 519-4637 and opens Nov. 26 and will be open weekdays from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. and Saturday and Sunday, from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Zaskey Christmas Tree Farm
Hadley
Family owned and operated, five generations of the Zaskey Family have worked on the family farm. Opened in 1910, Zaskey Farm has always embraced the Christmas spirit, something they hope families can enjoy and have in creating traditions and memories while selecting a tree from their farm.
On their website the Zaskey family writes that they began growing Christmas trees on what was once tobacco land in 1980. The Zaskey Christmas Tree Farm began selling trees as a choose & cut operation in 1989 with 500-1,000 trees being planted each year.
Premium pre-cut trees are going for $45 to $60, including tax, according to their website, but Bill Zaskey said there have been some issues with getting in pre-cut trees this year and that due to last year having more trees selling than previously anticipated, there is a limited amount available at the moment. Choose and cut trees are available from 4-foot to 10-plus feet in heigh, ranging between $45 to $70 plus tax. You could also purchase a 16-inch wreath with the tree or a Santa’s Solution Christmas tree stand, $20 and $40 including tax, respectively.
Zaskey Farm is located at 114 Mt. Warner Rd. Hours are Sat. and Sun 9 a.m.- 4:30 p.m.. Contact the farm at 244-1030 or visit their website at https://www.zaskeytreefarm.com.
Moss Hill Farm
Russell
As many as three generations have cut their own Christmas trees for their families at Moss Hill Farm on Upper Hill Road in Russell.
The trees were first planted by Howard Mason in the 1950s, according to his son Derrick Mason, and the first trees were sold in the 1960s. Derrick Mason left the area for a few years, but when he returned 30 years ago, he got back into helping around the farm, and now says the season, which runs from the day after Thanksgiving to Christmas, is his favorite time of year.
Mason said they have all kinds among the 3,000 trees on the three-to-four dedicated acres, although not all are ready to harvest. They have firs such as balsams with their soft needles, and spruces, which are spiky. A current favorite with the public is concolor firs, which has long needles and a lemon spice fragrance which he said people love to bring into their homes. So many people ask for concolor firs that they planted 500 of them this summer. A new tree they are trying out is a type of cedar, which is fast growing and beautiful, but not as dense.
He normally expects to sell 300 to 500 trees a season at anywhere from $30 to $60, depending on the size and beauty or fullness of the tree. Some trees that may have become crowded are tagged for 50 percent off, but not many, he said.
Mason said his trees loved the wet weather this year, and survived the recent droughts pretty well. “They are tough customers,” he said, adding that he does worry that climate change will have an effect on the trees, which like northern climates and high elevation.
He said his market is people who want locally grown, natural, chemical free trees that are “as fresh as you can get,” adding that there are fewer local growers, because people stopped planting.
Mason said the best thing about having people cut their own trees is there is no waste, as every tree that gets cut is used. “We don’t lose a significant number of trees,” he said. He also plans to donate some to the Russell Police Department for needy families this year.
No appointment is needed, and after Thanksgiving people can drive up from Blandford Stage Road and Route 20 and follow the signs and the dirt road to Moss Hill Farm during daylight hours to cut down their tree. Family members will be there to help, and saws will be available for people that didn’t bring them. Family members will also help drag the trees onto vehicles.
Mason encourages people to make it a family event, and bring the pets (on a leash) and the kids. He said there are refreshments on weekends when it is more crowded, and recommends masks and staying socially-distanced. The phone number is -862-3815. Call for hours of operation.
Mason said he is hearing mixed reports about the retail tree market this year, and suggests people get out early. He said a lot of the retail trees come from Canada, and did throughout the pandemic, as they were considered essential trade. He said there was a decent supply of trees last year.
Pell Family Farm
Somers, CT
Pell Family Farm is a family-owned and operated farm located in Somers, dating back to 1930. If readers are looking for a no-frills, straight-up Christmas tree shopping experience, Pell Family Farm is the place to go. The farm grows its own Cannan fir trees from saplings and is a cut-your-own farm. They have hand saws available for your use, or you can bring your own, however no chainsaws are allowed due to safety concerns. The farm does not have staff to help customers cut their trees.
As for shortages this year due to COVID-19 concerns, Owner Tracy Pell stated the farm has “thousands of trees, so no worries about running out” – this is another reason why tagging isn’t available. Prices range from $60 for a 6- to 7-foot tree to $120 for a 10 to 12-foot tree.Pell stated there will be plenty of trees even up until Dec.19 for those last-minute shoppers.
When customers are ready to take the tree home, bailing is available, as well as twine for tying it up to vehicles. Pell accepts cash or credit cards. Bringing cash for a quicker check-out time is recommended.
Pell Family Farm is located at 115 Kibbe Grove Rd. in Somers, and is open for the season on Nov. 20 and Nov. 21 from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., Nov. 26-Dec. 19 – on weekdays from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., and on weekends from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. For specifics, go to pell-farms.com or call 860-265-6511.
Fletcher Farm
Southampton
Fletcher Farm in Southampton is gearing up for the holiday season with their own types of Christmas trees for families in the area.
According to Cheryl Fletcher, an owner and manager of the family farm, the trees they sell are for re-sale, and are grown elsewhere.
Late November usually ushers in the holiday season for the farm, which typically includes premium locally grown trees from Massachusetts. According to their website, the types of trees they sell are balsams, concolor firs and Douglass firs.
When Thanksgiving arrives, so does the first delivery of trees and wreaths-plain and decorated-along with roping, kissing balls, swags, cemetery logs, birch reindeer and snowmen. These products are all a part of the winter season retail. The farm also sells products dedicated to the fall, spring and summer seasons.
Fletcher Farm is a family-run farm that is located at 22 Gunn Road in Southampton. The farm is open daily 9 a.m.-6 p.m.. Contact them at 527-6888 or at https://fletcherfamilyfarm.com/
Hickory Hill Farm
Westfield
Owned and operated by Dennis Bishop for the past 35 years, Hickory Hill Farm grows Frasier fir, balsam fir and Scots pine trees and supplements its supply with trees from Vermont. The cost is $65 for a 7.5- to 8-foot tree. If you are in the market for a larger tree, a limited supply of 10-foot trees are available.
Due to COVID-19, there have been supply shortages, and Bishop recommends tagging your tree early because they “are going to go fast.” He said to do this, call and make an appointment to come on the weekend.
At the farm, customers can choose from both pre-cut and choose-your-own trees and be assured that they will receive hands-on service. The process is customers go to the field to select a tree, and either Bishop or one of his staff will cut it and help bring it up to be bailed and tied to your car if needed. Bishop explains he does these things because “We pride ourselves in service.”
While enjoying the Christmas tree shopping tradition, customers can also visit the Candy Cane Shop (feels like Santa’s workshop) where they sell candy, candles and other specialty items. They sold gourmet candy canes in the past, but because of COVID-19 related shortages, Bishop cannot stock them this year but will have traditional peppermint canes. In addition, homemade wreaths for approximately $18.99 and kissing balls for $35.00 will also be on sale.
The farm will be open for the season on Nov. 26, hours of operation are 7 days a week, 9 a.m. to 7 p.m., at 325 Montgomery Rd. in Westfield. They can be reached at 568-3907, and more information is available online at https://www.hickoryhillfarmco.com/.
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