BARK RIVER, Mich. (WZMQ) – While many are looking for that perfect Christmas tree during the holiday season, evergreens are the focus all year long for Teal’s Tree Farms.
“We sell different variety of evergreen boughs,” said supervisor Matt Willette. “We have wreaths, garland, roping, we do pine tips. Then we switch into selling Christmas trees here from Turkey Day all the way up til Christmas.”
Customers can purchase a pre-cut tree or search the 120 acres of trees for one to cut down. There are a wide variety of evergreens available, including blue spruce, white pine, balsam, and fraser fir, which Willette says is the most popular.
According to Willette, each tree’s journey from the ground to a customer’s home is a long process.
“Getting these trees here starts by getting them in as little one- to two-year-old seedlings, and we try to plant about 10,000 to 12,000 trees every year,” he said.
Each tree takes eight to twelve years to fully grow.
“You’re constantly juggling that cycle of trying to keep trees from this big all the way to this big,” said Willette, showing the range of sizes with his hands. “You get people that want 14- to 16-foot trees, so that takes quite a few years to be able to get that into somebody’s home.”
During that time, the trees require a lot of care.
“You’re just hoping Mother Nature does its thing for the first couple of years, until they get yea big and they start thickening up,” Willette said. “Then you have to start shearing them every year. You’re also mowing by every tree a minimum of two times a year. You’re fighting pesticides, funguses, different things that can get into your trees that are very hard to control. The deer out here, they love nibbling on our trees when there’s nothing else to eat in the wintertime.”
When a tree is ready to leave Teal’s Tree Farms and become part of someone’s Christmas tradition, Willette says it is worth all the hard work.
“One of the best parts about this job is that people might only think about you one time of year, but it’s a pretty special time of year for them,” he said. “Most of our customers, they let us know every time they’re here how much they appreciate us being here, and that’s a big incentive to always keep going and keep planting and keep moving forward.”
Teal’s Tree Farms also features a gift shop with Christmas decorations, ornaments, and wreaths. On the weekends, guests can take a tractor ride through the trees.
You can visit Teal’s Tree Farms between 9:00 a.m. and 7:00 p.m. daily until Christmas Eve. For more information, click here or visit Teal’s Tree Farms at 4260 D Road in Bark River.
