By Alison McCrindle
Joe and I have always loved spending time in the outdoors. As a child, my family lived right next door to the land that became Chickadee Christmas Trees. I spent countless hours playing and exploring in the forest and fields around the farm. Joe spent his early years camping, hiking and fishing in many parts of Ontario and Canada. When we met in 1993, Joe told me that it was his dream to one day live in a forest. In 1995, that dream came true, when Joe and I moved to the farm.
Years before, Joe’s parents had thought of starting a Christmas tree farm at their home in Grey County but had not done so. Joe liked the idea. So, in 1997 our first trees were planted. We had much to learn about growing and selling Christmas trees. But with a lot of reading, trial and error and help from other tree farmers, we finally opened our gates in 2002. In the first two years, we sold pre-cut trees only and in 2004 we opened our fields for cut-your-own trees.
Our tree farm is truly a family run operation. Over the years, our parents, siblings, nieces, nephews, close friends and children (Callum and Maggie) have all played a huge part in the tree operation. We have been extremely fortunate to always have a team of wonderful staff who help to make the atmosphere at the farm welcoming, festive and cheerful. Our goal has been to offer quality Christmas trees in a beautiful country setting, where families can make memories and create traditions. We hope that we do that.
Environmental stewardship has always been important to us. Now, more than ever, we hope to move to even more environmentally sustainable practices. We continue to dedicate portions of the farm to managed reforestation, naturalize more land to provide good wildlife and pollinator habitat and look for ways to make our farm more eco-friendly. We have converted to using plastic-free, biodegradable netting for baling trees. We have also made a decision to focus mainly on Christmas trees and greens (wreaths and boughs), and will no longer offer a Gift Shop. Our hope is that visitors will enjoy the natural beauty of the farm and create life-long memories while searching for that “perfect” Christmas tree.
Joe and I have always loved spending time in the outdoors. As a child, my family lived right next door to the land that became Chickadee Christmas Trees. I spent countless hours playing and exploring in the forest and fields around the farm. Joe spent his early years camping, hiking and fishing in many parts of Ontario and Canada. When we met in 1993, Joe told me that it was his dream to one day live in a forest. In 1995, that dream came true, when Joe and I moved to the farm.
Years before, Joe’s parents had thought of starting a Christmas tree farm at their home in Grey County but had not done so. Joe liked the idea. So, in 1997 our first trees were planted. We had much to learn about growing and selling Christmas trees. But with a lot of reading, trial and error and help from other tree farmers, we finally opened our gates in 2002. In the first two years, we sold pre-cut trees only and in 2004 we opened our fields for cut-your-own trees.
Our tree farm is truly a family run operation. Over the years, our parents, siblings, nieces, nephews, close friends and children (Callum and Maggie) have all played a huge part in the tree operation. We have been extremely fortunate to always have a team of wonderful staff who help to make the atmosphere at the farm welcoming, festive and cheerful. Our goal has been to offer quality Christmas trees in a beautiful country setting, where families can make memories and create traditions. We hope that we do that.
Environmental stewardship has always been important to us. Now, more than ever, we hope to move to even more environmentally sustainable practices. We continue to dedicate portions of the farm to managed reforestation, naturalize more land to provide good wildlife and pollinator habitat and look for ways to make our farm more eco-friendly. We have converted to using plastic-free, biodegradable netting for baling trees. We have also made a decision to focus mainly on Christmas trees and greens (wreaths and boughs), and will no longer offer a Gift Shop. Our hope is that visitors will enjoy the natural beauty of the farm and create life-long memories while searching for that “perfect” Christmas tree.