By Fred Salo
The two most popular Christmas trees sold in the eastern part of the United States are Balsam Fir and Fraser Fir. Other trees used would include cedar,pine,douglas fir,concolor fir,spruce and other variations of the same, but Balsam and Fraser are the tree of choice by most growers in Vermont. Both these species grow well in most of Vermont’s growing conditions. (Note problems under site selection).
By definition: Abies , Balsamea and Fraseri
Balsam and Fraser serve their best purpose growing at high altitudes and should not be grown outside their native habitats. These species thrive in the cool moist atmosphere of the mountains but when grown in areas where the summers are hot and dry, they are not long lived and become spindly and sickly in appearance.( Wymans Encycopedia)
When choosing a site for creating a Christmas Tree Farm a great deal of care should be taken to make sure you have as many of the ingredients as you can that will make the trees grow well. Thinking elevation is the key is not the total answer. The following would be my list of important factors with reasons why.
Elevation; no magic number but a 1000ft to 2500ft would be good. Too high stunts growth and too low may not have the air flow to keep late frosts from injuring new growth.(i.e. frost pockets)
Moisture; trees like plenty of moisture but do not like wet feet. The site must have a history of low water tables. If the site is dry the year you plant only to be wet in other
years the trees will either die out or lack growth and color and be unsaleable.
Soils; Well drained and having a texture that holds some moisture and suspends additives.
Fir trees are not too fussy but do not do well in clay soils or in sandy soils.
Sun; full sun is necessary. A field may be in full sun but have shady sides. Best to leave extra service space along the shadier side.
Air circulation; Is important not only to hedge against late frosts but helps against fungus,
and probably would keep some of those pesty insects moving.( A friend in NH says he has no insects on his farm because the winds blow them all to VT.)
Snow cover; Mother natures mulch is necessary especially on new plantings. Areas known
to have lite or no snow covers some years will cause problems.
There are other considerations such as soil ph and nutrients, deer and moose populations. vandalism,road dust, thievery, water source, road access to name a few.
Delving into all the above can become quite technical. A quick rule of thumb is to look at the surrounding area and see if balsam are growing naturally. If they are not the chances are good that the site is not located in what I call a “Fir Belt” and probably will not produce Fir trees easily. Or some years ok and some not so good.
So if you own land and want to try growing trees keep the above in mind and realize you could experience a few difficulties if some of the mentioned factors are a problem. If you go looking for a site it would be best to keep the above front and center and don’t stop looking until most of the criteria is met.(no sense in rowing upstream if you don’t have to.)!
