O Christmas Tree: Choosing live trees a family tradition for many

PONTOTOC – For Jane Peters, a recent trip on a cold, sunny fall day to Carnes Farms in Pontotoc was her first time to help her parents pick out a Christmas tree.

She’s too young to likely remember this day, but her dad, Bailey, and mom, Katherine, will be bringing her back for many, many years.

The 7 1/2-foot tree that was selected for this Christmas certainly stands out.

“Honestly, we really needed only a 6 1/2-foot tree,” said Bailey, armed with a tape measure. “We have a certain space we have to stay in, or otherwise you really can’t walk through the area very well.”

The Peters family had a good selection from which to choose at Carnes Farms, which is in its fifth season of selling Christmas trees.

Owner Adam Carnes said the farm had a smaller number of trees this year due to the hard freeze of two years ago that affected this year’s crop of trees that were designated to be cut for customers.

“That’s just the life of farming, and like any type of farming, whether its corn or soybeans or whatever it may be, we’re a speciality crop, and we’re at the hands of Mother Nature and the good Lord,” he said. “That deep freeze did set us back little bit; we didn’t lose too many, but it stunted the growth for a year.”

Despite weather conditions that have tested the state’s Christmas tree growers over the last two years that included the freeze and drought, the inventory is strong, said Mike Buchart, executive secretary of the Southern Christmas Tree Association, which represents tree growers in Mississippi, Alabama and Louisiana.

“There will be trees to choose from. There won’t be as many to choose from as in years past, but there will be a good variety,” he said.

Jeff Wilson, horticulture specialist with the Mississippi State University Extension Services, said, “Drought has been a real issue for anyone without irrigation. Our weather conditions have caused some trees to need an extra year to be sellable.”

Growers sell out of trees, not because they run out, but because they sell only a certain segment of their inventory each year.

“The demand for locally grown trees has increased, and growers only sell a certain number of trees each year,” Buchart said. “They want to make sure they are selling their best trees, and they aren’t going to sell a tree this year that needs another year to be its best.”

Most growers will sell out by the second week of Thanksgiving, and some sell out on Thanksgiving weekend. Some farms offer pre-tagging for customers who cannot make it to the farm during prime selection time. This preselection process allows families to choose the tree they want and return later to cut it down and take it home.

While it was Jane’s first time to a tree farm, it also was Katherine’s first time

“I grew up with an artificial tree … As long as I’m not sweeping up, it’s fine,” she said with a laugh.

Bailey said picking out live trees will be something the family continues in the years ahead.

“We’re going to make this a family tradition, especially as Jane grows older, we’ll let her come pick out the tree,” he said. “I always remember doing that as a kid and I loved it.”

Carnes has Fraser firs brought in for sale, and for choose-and-cut, has mainly Leyland cypress and Arizona cypress, aka Blue Ice.

“We’re still on the small scale, selling 250-275 trees per season,” he said. “We think we’ll sell out easily this year, which is always the goal.”

Tree care is a year-round activity, and for a Leyland cypress, to typically takes about four years to mature to a height of roughly 8 feet.

“For the price you are guaranteed an experience like none other and a fresh tree,” said Buchart, noting that selecting a Christmas tree at tree farms has become a tradition for many families.

To find a choose-and-cut Christmas tree farm, visit the Southern Christmas Tree Association website at southernchristmastrees.org or the Mississippi Department of Agriculture and Commerce at agnet.mdac.ms.gov/website/AgTourism/Venues.

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