Most Christmas trees grow for six to eight years before they end up in anyone’s living room. So, compared to most crops on local farms, they have seen a lot.
At Hillside Christmas Tree Farm in Chesterfield, for example, “sometimes bears will lean against a tree to scratch themselves, and they’ll break the leading branch or push them over,” owner Louise Spear said. “Normally, those trees end up curved, and we get rid of them, but sometimes people decide that’s what they want. I sold a few last year. It’s fun to tell people why they look like that.”
Hillside Christmas Tree Farm is a family-run, cut-your-own operation that also sells pre-cut trees and pre-made wreaths, kissing balls, garland and swags. “Bear-trees” aside, the rest of their nearly 5,000 firs have a more traditional look of straight trunks and dense blue-green branches. Yet they all come from that same wild, sloping hillside, surrounded by acres of preserved forest on all sides. The beautiful setting makes it easy to believe these trees have some magic in them worthy of the season. At the very least, it is a wonderful place to walk and admire the Hilltown scenery before taking home a tree.
Today, Spear runs the farm with her son, Joseph Lynch, but she started it in the 1980s with her late husband, John Lynch.
“It just captivated him,” Spear said, of John’s fascination with tree farming. “He was a logger at one time, a tree surgeon, the town’s tree warden … he had all sorts of expertise around trees.”
While they have grown many varieties over the years, today they focus on balsam or Fraser firs. Both are prized for their hardiness, fragrance, springy branches that can hold some weight and great needle retention. They are also very well suited to the soils and climate of the Hilltowns.
“Here in Chesterfield at 1,200 feet above sea-level, we’re at the southern edge of the natural range for balsams,” Spear explains. “Further north they grow wild in spots, where here we’d see hemlocks instead. Fraser firs, meanwhile, are native to the southern Appalachians, but they can be grown up into Quebec even, as long as it’s not bitterly cold.”
No matter the type, fresh-cut local trees often hold their needles longer than trees trucked in from out of state, which may have been cut days or even weeks earlier. Choosing a local tree also supports local businesses, and tree-cutting with friends or family is often the center of a beloved holiday tradition.
“I remember when we first started, the artificial tree was making real inroads,” Spear said. “Now we’re seeing interest growing for more live trees and local trees. I think some of that is because there’s more focus on natural and locally grown things, thanks in part to organizations like CISA (Community Involved in Sustaining Agriculture).”
In Christmas tree farming, the work begins in late April, when young fir trees are transplanted into the meadow. Trees are fertilized over the spring and summer, and mowing keeps vines and other plants from impeding their growth.
For older trees, summer is also time for their yearly shearing. Left alone, fir trees planted in an open field send branches high and wide, claiming as much sunlight and space as possible. Shearing is the art of selectively pruning to encourage a compact, symmetrical shape and sturdy branches to hold decorations.
In Spear’s opinion, weather is the most challenging variable Christmas tree farmers face. “Especially because we depend on natural rainfall,” she explains. “If it doesn’t rain enough in the spring when new seedlings are establishing their roots, you can lose a lot of trees.”
Trees don’t mind stormy weather much, but customers do, and that can have a big impact on sales. Spear said, “if you get deep snow, only the hardiest people will go out into the field to cut a tree. If it rains, people still come, but the trees don’t look as good. We have a very narrow window to sell trees, so we root for good weather in December.”
Most years, a few hundred households make the short trip to find their perfect tree at Hillside Christmas Tree Farm. While technically in Chesterfield, the GPS address is 286 Main Road, Williamsburg. Main Road is also route 143, and signs give directions to the farm from where that splits from Route 9.
Pulling into the driveway, visitors arrive at a display of handmade wreaths, kissing balls and other decor for sale. Often, Spear is outside greeting customers and directing them where to park for easy access to the field of trees. If she is away, signage gives directions for where to go, what to do, and how to leave payment. Visitors are loaned a handsaw for tree-cutting, or can bring their own, and are given twine to tie trees on their cars if needed.
Hillside Christmas Tree Farm is open every day during daylight hours from the day after Thanksgiving until Christmas Eve. All trees in the field are available to cut and priced at $50, no matter the size. For the best selection, come early in the season. Pre-cut trees and hand-made decorations are priced based on size. They accept cash or check only.
Spear said they get all kinds of customers, from families to friend groups and people enjoying the experience solo. Almost all of them leave with a wide smile on their face.
“I love selling Christmas trees, because people are so happy,” she said. “They’re outdoors on our land, sometimes just walking around taking in the beauty this place, carved out of the forest. People always seem to be in a good mood. It’s my favorite time of year.”
Jacob Nelson is a writer and educator with deep connections to local food and farms in western Massachusetts. This article was written in partnership with (CISA Community Involved in Sustaining Agriculture). To learn more about local businesses growing and making all you need for this holiday season, visit buylocalfood.org.
