Green Acre Farm is located at 663 Boothbay Road in Edgecomb and offers 15 acres of various tree varieties for families to choose from. (Nate Poole photo)
With 22 days until Christmas, now is the perfect time to purchase or reserve a tree at one of Lincoln County’s many local tree farms and stands.
The Maine Christmas Tree Association reported that the supply of trees this year will be smaller than other years due to cutbacks on planting in 2008, according to Maine Public.
Pre-cut trees are available at Clark’s Farm Stand at 382 Main St., Damariscotta, Spear’s Farm Stand at 1520 Atlantic Highway, Waldoboro, and the Sheepscot General Store, 98 Townhouse Road in Whitefield, among others.
All three of these establishments offer a variety of additional goods besides trees and wreaths, including fresh bakery items and produce.
Spear’s began selling trees on Nov. 26 and will remain open until Dec. 22, while Clark’s reopened its stand on Nov. 18 and will remain open as long as the supply of trees last.
On Nov. 30, Jigger Clark estimated that his stand, which has sold Christmas trees for about 15 years, might run out of trees as soon as Dec. 12. Clark was also responsible for donating the trees for Villages of Light in Damariscotta, along with 75 sponsors.
Janet Spear said that Spear’s ran out of trees a few days ahead of Dec. 22 in 2020, and that there already seems to be a higher demand this year.
“People are definitely in the spirit and they’re trying to get their Christmas trees early,” Spear said.
In Whitefield, the Sheepscot General Store has partnered with the Whitefield Library to sell local Christmas trees and raise funds for the library’s renovations.
Library Vice President Cheryle Joslyn said that “the Geezers,” a group of the Whitefield library’s retired volunteers, cut and hauled four pickup trucks worth of balsam fir donated by Whitefield residents Kathy and Louie Sell, as well as Leslie and Matt Gomes.
A variety of shapes and sizes are available at the general store. Customers should bring their own saws to cut trees to their needs.
The library is asking for a $25 donation per tree. Trees at Clark’s are $40, and regular trees at Spear’s are $38 while small trees are $25.
Clark’s Farm Stand at 382 Main Street in Damariscotta is selling pre-cut Christmas trees, as well as a variety of baked goods and produce, as long as supplies last. (Nate Poole photo)
Uncut trees are available at the Christmas Tree Bazaar, 174 Back Meadow Road, Nobleboro; Green Acre Tree Farm, 663 Boothbay Road, Edgecomb, and Echo Hill Nursery Choose and Cut at 2498 Winslows Mills Road, Waldoboro.
While these farms mostly offer uncut trees, they all offer cutting services for those families or individuals who are otherwise unable to themselves.
Nobleboro’s Christmas Tree Bazaar opened on Nov. 26, and will remain open from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. on weekends until it sells out.
A family business owned and operated by full-time forester David Schaible, The Christmas Tree Bazaar was founded when the first tree was planted in 1978.
The farm offers seven acres of balsam fir for families to find the perfect tree. Tree sizes range anywhere from 3 feet to 13 feet or more. Prices vary by the size of the tree.
Schaible said that he believes this year will be just as busy as the last few, and customers should try to find their trees early.
“There’s probably going to be a big demand, we sold out early the last two years and I suspect it’ll be the same this year,” he said.
Echo Hill Nursery opened for the season on Friday, Nov. 26, and will be open on weekends thereafter from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. until Dec. 20.
The farm is owned and operated by David Karas, whose family planted the first Christmas tree in 1975. Karas took over the operation in 1999. The farm operates as a nursery year-round for landscape companies and sells pumpkins in the fall.
Of the farm’s 145 acres, two acres of Christmas trees are available this season. Karas said that he will have some pre-cut trees available at the farm, as well.
The nursery sells balsam fir exclusively, with most trees ranging from 5-9 feet. Trees cost $40 apiece.
Edgecomb’s Green Acre Christmas Tree Farm was established in 1980 by Cindy Hill’s father, Fred Peasley. Peasley was in the Christmas tree business for 70 years until he passed away, at which point Hill took over the business.
She ran Green Acre with her husband, Dennis, until he passed away in 2020.
“We’ve been in the Christmas tree business all of our lives,” she said.
Green Acre opened for the season on Nov. 6, and will remain open seven days a week from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. until it closes for the season on Dec. 20.
Unlike other farms which offer only balsam fir, Hill’s farm offers balsam, Frasier, spruce, and a few Douglas fir trees of all different sizes across the farm’s 15 acres.
“We’re making a family happy at least for two to three weeks of the season, and they’re together with the tree that we raised,” Hill said.
