INTRODUCTION:
It is important to remember that Christmas tree farming is like most other farming. There are a lot of risks involved in planting a crop that will not fully mature in less than seven years and may take ten or twelve years. There is an endless array of diseases, insects, weather events, etc. threatening the crop. Therefore, many growers, including us, have taken the "portfolio" approach to what species of trees that we plant and raise. We need a variety of species to combat the threats that are and may be in the future. Our inventory of trees is constantly evolving. We are scaling back on species that are not popular and we are planting some new species that have features that may resist problems being experienced with existing species. For example Fraser Fir is experiencing problems with Phytophthora root rot . Turkish Fir and Canaan Fir are more resistant to root rot. In the photos below you will see species portrayed at different heights. Our inventory of sizes among the various species will change from year to year. Although some species have better needle retention than others, with proper care by you, any of them from our farm will be safe in your home. Our Choose & Cut trees are very fresh when you buy them. For tips on proper care, please view our .pdf on TREE CARE. Please look at each photo below just to get an idea of what the specie looks like. Some of these photos were taken in early Spring 2025 before the new growth started.
BALSAM FIR:
(Abies fraseri) It is native to the southern Appalachians (particularly North Carolina) and is closely related to the Balsam Fir. The Fraser Fir has soft green needles with silvery undersides, stronger branches, nice aroma and very good needle retention. The best way to distinguish it from the Balsam Fir are the bigger and upward growing limbs and the silver underside of the needles. Recently Fraser has become popular with customers because of its better needle retention. It has also become threatened by Phytophthora root rot which is making it less popular with growers. It is sometimes used for Christmas decorations but the twigs are larger and more stiff so some decoration makers prefer Balsam or Canaan Fir.
BALSAM & FRASER FIR HYBRIDS:
As a hybrid, it has a mixture of Balsam Fir, and Fraser Fir characteristics- nice aroma and good to very good needle retention. These trees are difficult to tell from either Fraser or Balsam Fir. Sometimes they look more like a Balsam Fir and sometimes more like a Fraser Fir. We know where we planted them and can identify them for you. They may resist Phytophthora root rot but the jury is still out about just how well. Never the less, they are a beautiful tree and our customers report that they stay fresh in the house a long time.
CANAAN FIR:
A variation of Balsam Fir that grows well in wet soil. It is native to higher elevations in West Virginia. It has a nice aroma, soft needles and good needle retention. It is much more resistant to Phytophthora root rot than Fraser fir. They were popular on our farm in 2024 when they came of age. They are hard to distinguish from Balsam Fir except many of ours are a little fatter than some Balsam. They have thrived on our areas with wet soil where Balsam
Fir might not have done so well and Fraser Fir would have had high losses due to Phytophthora root rot.
KOREAN FIR:
The Korean fir, is a species of fir native to the higher mountains of South Korea .It has soft, dark green, needles with silvery undersides, nice smell, soft needles and good needle retention. Our Korean Fir are just coming to harvest size. We may not plant any more for a while. We are waiting to see how the Korean Fir-Balsam Fir Hybrids work out. That may be at least a couple of years.
TURKISH FIR:
(Abies nordmanniana) is an evergreen conifer tree native to Turkey, Georgia, and the Caucasus Mountains. It has been imported to the US in recent years. It is more resistant to Phytophthora root rot than Fraser Fir. It will be a few years before we have any ready for harvest. The photo to the left is a file photo from the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources as our Turkish Fir are still too small.
KOREAN FIR/BALSAM FIR HYBRID:
The Korean Fir and the Balsam Fir are described above. The hybrid is an effort to combine the best features of each specie for the purposes of Christmas tree production. The hybrid appears to grow faster and more straight than the original Korean Fir. It has soft needles with a silvery underside. These trees have a ways to go before they are ready for harvest.
VEITCHII FIR/BALSAM FIR HYBRID:
Veitchii Fir (Abies veitchii) is native to Japan. The needles are glossy dark green above with two conspicuous bluish white stomatal bands underneath, and the tips are notched. The hybrid is an effort to combine the best features of each specie, Veitchii Fir and Balsam Fir described above) for the purposes of Christmas tree production. We have no pure Veitchii Fir to compare the hybrid with and do not plan to get any. These trees also have a ways to go before they are ready for harvest.
COLORADO BLUE SPRUCE:
(Picea pungens) is a species of spruce tree native to North America in Arizona, Colorado, Idaho, New Mexico, Utah and Wyoming. This specie is most popular for it bright blue color although not all Colorado Blue Spruce trees are bright blue. It is often planted as an ornamental tree on public and private lawns but has a following among customers as a Christmas tree due to its bright blue color. Its sharp needles may deter pets from climbing on it. Its limbs are less flexible than fir trees, it supports even larger ornaments.
MEYER SPRUCE:
(Picea meyeri) It originated from Northern China and the needles are less sharp than Colorado Blue Spruce, Meyer spruce grows slowly the first few years after planting, but once established the growth rate is similar to blue spruce. Meyer Spruce have a higher percentage of really blue trees than Colorado Blue Spruce. They have strong branches, consistently blue needles, pleasant smell, and are reported to have very good needle retention. We have a hundred or more that are at market height and are very attractive. They are a good replacement for those who have avoided Colorado Blue Spruce because of the very sharp needles. To date they seem to be resistant to some of the threats to the Colorado Blue Spruce such as White pine weavil.
RED SPRUCE:
( Picea rubens) It is native to eastern North America, ranging from eastern Quebec and Nova Scotia, west to the Adirondack Mountains and south through New England along the Appalachians to western North Carolina and eastern Tennessee. In the Northeast this was the original specie used as a Christmas tree starting in the late 18 hundreds to the 1960s. It has short, dark green needles. The limbs are fairly stiff and support ornaments well.
It has become less popular as a Christmas tree. It has a number of pests that like it and customers now tend to leave their trees in the house longer. You should be very attentive to keeping the fresh cut butt of the tree in water so that it does not dry out. We only have a few of these which reproduce naturally on our farm.
WHITE SPRUCE:
(Picea glauca) Native to the Northern US, Canada and Alaska the White Spruce has short blue needles. They are not as sharp as the Colorado Blue Spruce or the Meyer Spruce. It is one of the faster growing spruces. It has stiff limbs which support heavier ornaments. If the needles are wet or crushed when it is taken into the house the aroma can be strong. We have some that we planted and a few which reproduced naturally on our farm. It is a good choice for those want a blue tree without the sharp needles.
NORWAY SPRUCE:
(Picea abies) It is native to Northern, Central and Eastern Europe but was imported to North America. It is the species used as the main Christmas tree in several countries around the world. The limbs are orange brown and the needles are short, blunt and dark green. It is fast growing and makes a full,
dense Christmas tree. It tends to grow wide. Its branches are often used for Christmas decorations where full coverage with only a few branches is required. Some of ours would make excellent outdoor trees in public places or in houses with cathedral ceilings because of their width and height.
WHITE PINE:
(Pinus Strobus) It is often called Eastern White Pine. Native to northern North America including Vermont, it is often used for landscape and timber purposes. It has long, soft needles, very good needle retention, and very dense foliage when sheared. It does best with light ornaments and tinsel because of its flexible limbs. . It has the best shape harvested at 8 feet or less. It will fit well into a small house or apartment. The boughs are often used as highlights in Christmas decorations along with Balsam Fir. They are also well suited for people with allergies, as they give little to no aroma. We keep a small number of these in a special spot as trees.
SCOTCH PINE:
(Pinus sylvestris) It was a big favorite in the 60s and 70s as a Christmas tree because it looks full at a smaller size and fits into apartments and other small or low ceiling homes.. Although called Scotch pine, it actually grows all over northern Europe and was introduced in North America in the early 1600s. It has sharp needles, good needle retention, dense foliage when sheared, strong branches and a pine smell. It has the best shape harvested at 8 feet or less. We keep a small number of these in a special spot.