Christmas tree farms across Northeast Ohio are open and expecting a big holiday season.
At Sugar Pines Christmas Tree Farm in Chesterland, owner Jane Neubauer expects a lot of business.
鈥淥ur phones have been ringing off the hook, my email, texting, Thanksgiving is late again this year, later than it is some years, so people are really eager to get going on the holidays.鈥�
Jessica Yeager, operations manager at Storeyland Christmas Tree Farm in Burghill, said their Trumbull County farm is also anticipating a robust season this year, a continuation of the noticeable uptick in sales each year going back to the COVID-19 pandemic.
鈥淚t was something they were able to get out and do since it wasn鈥檛 indoors, and we鈥檝e seen a lot of those people just continue on coming out every year,鈥� Yeager said. 鈥淲e have more customers than we did prior to 2020, but it鈥檚 stayed pretty steady each year since.鈥�
Both farms have worked to increase their supply of trees. Storeyland has planted more trees to account for the higher demand and says it will have around 3,000 trees on hand while Sugar Pines is bringing in some additional trees from out of state and will have around 4,000 trees.
Even so, both farms aren鈥檛 confident they鈥檒l have enough trees for the season. They both expect to run out by mid-December.
Weather could also play a factor in how long the farms stay open, according to Neubauer.
鈥淚f you have really bad weather Thanksgiving weekend, that can make your season go longer,鈥� she said. 鈥淚f you have really great weather, it can go quickly.鈥�
The supply of trees statewide is consistent with last year, according to Gary Hite, president of the Ohio Christmas Tree Association. Despite a dry spell over the last couple of years, current Christmas trees were not affected, Hite said.
鈥淭here鈥檚 no impact from the dry season on the trees,鈥� Hite said. 鈥淭he dryness gets the young trees.鈥�
For this season, Christmas tree farms offer a chance to more than just pick your fresh tree. Some also offer a range of family friendly activities to add to the experience. Storeyland鈥檚 extra offerings include a chance to meet miniature Highland cows. Neubauer said at Sugar Pines, they're offering hay rides, concessions, even a visit from Santa.
鈥淚t鈥檚 just love,鈥� Neubauer said. 鈥淚t鈥檚 the memory making and the tradition making and the pictures and things that come with that are hard to replace.鈥�
