On December 10, about a dozen ECFWA members gathered outside of Cambridge to tour Chickadee Christmas Trees. Albeit a little less snow than anticipated, tour attendees were greeted by Alison McCrindle (with hot apple cider!) and toured the farm property of trees and nature trails.  Alison and her husband, Joe Wareham have been growing and selling Christmas trees since 1997 and started with minimal knowledge of the industry. Starting off with 12 acres of marginal land, and 1000 trees, they have honed their skills of pest management, tree species and marketing to now offer pre-cut trees from other farms, and a cut-your-own on a variety of species!

After a few questions regarding pest management and the product availability for controlling pests, Alison mentioned that their biggest challenge is the threat of a pest that might arrive into this region that hasn’t been seen before- and the product available to treat that pest. She also mentioned that climate change is an ongoing issue with pest management, as they are seeing pests they haven’t seen before.

Additionally, Alison and Joe developed Bio Tree Net – a plastic free biodegradable Christmas tree netting that reduces their use of plastic on farm.

During the tour, Alison walked us through the nature trails with forestry education, and to the cut-your-own tree field.

After the tour, attendees gathered in nearby Cambridge at the Four Fathers Brewing Company for a delicious lunch.