Join us for a closeup look at a small cut-your-own Christmas tree operation and a walk to look at all the conifers, how to ID them, their growth habits, problems, and management. We’ll see spruce and fir, white and red pine, northern white cedar, hemlock, and tamarack. We’ll look at ongoing thinning of dense balsam fir and white pine regeneration and take a look at cedar growing in a classic northern white cedar swamp as well as upland sites and how cedar is harvested on a small scale. Come dressed for the weather. If there is much snow, we’ll use snowshoes or skis. After the walk, warm up with hot apple cider, cookies, and conversation. And if you’d like to buy a Christmas tree, come prepared to take one home.

We’ll start with a woods walk to learn about different conifers growing on the property and tricks for identifying them. We’ll follow that walk by gathering in the conference barn at Smokey House to learn how to design and construct an evergreen holiday wreath. Come dressed for the weather, feel free to bring naturally foraged elements for your wreath, a dozen cookies for a cookie exchange and hand pruners.