Christmas tree farms in the Athens region provide for live Christmas tree needs, wishes and desires. This includes Holcomb Tree Farm in Albany, Dogwood Tree Farm in New Marshfield and Albert Family Tree Farm in Amanda.
If you’re a DIY kind of person, Holcomb Tree Farm will fulfill your wildest lumberjack aspirations. Cut and carry trees from the Christmas lot are $60. There are also options for those who are interested in live trees, with landscape and live Christmas trees from 6 feet to 8 feet for $75 and 9 feet to 12 feet for $100. Container trees are $25.
Everett Holcomb, the owner of the tree farm, said he gets customers from all over the area, especially those looking for the experience of cutting down their own tree.
“They come from all over,” Holcomb said. “They come from Athens, they come from Portsmouth, Jackson, and we've got a lot from West Virginia because there's very few Christmas tree places where they can go cut their own.”
Holcomb said he enjoys the families who come and bring their children to cut their own trees.
Holcomb started his tree farm in 1989 after retiring as a high school teacher and professor. He estimates that he has several thousand trees on the property.
Albert’s Tree Farm offers a range of trees from 2 feet to 20 feet tall, including pre-cut trees and chosen cut trees.
A popular option for many customers is a tree with a root ball, Roxanne Albert Macioci, an owner of the farm, said. Customers then have a memory associated with the tree, like a child’s first Christmas.
“Then, you know, they have those memories year after year,” Macioci said.
For pre-cut trees, the prices range from $35 to $80. For pre-dug root ball trees, the range is from $42-$105.
Albert Family Tree Farm owners involve three generations of the Albert family with Macioci and her father, who was part of the Ohio Forestry Association and had a passion for trees. The business now involves three generations and has been open for 43 years.
The farm offers more than just Christmas trees, as they also have maple syrup and fun for the whole family.
“We have free hot chocolate, popcorn and candy canes and a petting zoo,” Macioni said.
The farm also has a gift shop with different gifts and crafts as well as a visit from Santa some weekends, Macioni said.
Dogwood Tree Farm is a relatively new tree farm that is only open for a couple of weekends.
“Our tree farm was planted by someone else about 10 years ago. We just acquired it last year. So this is our first this is our first year selling trees,” Jane Broeker, an owner of the farm, said.
Dogwood has done no professional advertising since they family acquired it, instead advertising through the internet.
“I put a post on Facebook and shared it with my friends and shared it with my colleagues at work,” Broeker said.
The farm consists mostly of blue spruces and were sold the past few weekends for $8 per foot. The farm is closed for the year, but the family will continue again next year.
The business is really a full family effort, with Broeker’s seventh-grade son taking on a lot of the business.
“Our son, who is a middle schooler, is really helping run the business,” Broeker said. “So we're using it as a learning opportunity for him about responsibility.”
Although this was their first year and they didn’t know much of what to expect, Broeker said she enjoyed being part of a special experience.
“It's really fun to have people come out with their families to find a Christmas tree,” Broeker said.
