Cut-your-own Christmas tree tradition alive and well, but shop early

The Ohio chapter of the National Christmas Tree Association says there are nearly 100 Christmas tree farms throughout the state. The network of tree farms across the U.S. urges people seeking a tree to do so before winter hits, pointing to high demand and a low supply.

“Supplies of real farm-grown trees have been tight since 2016,” according to the association. “Shopping early in the season is a good idea wherever you plan to shop to have the most options to choose among.”

Berninger said his business — which has between 10,000 and 12,000 young and mature trees on its property — has always seen busy seasons, but the start of the pandemic brought families from near and far to his farm.

“It was a time where everyone wanted to get out,” he said.

The limited supply of trees nationwide is impacted by the span of time required to grow them. At Berninger, that’s seven to 10 years.

But a string of bad weather and heavy rain in the last decade has caused fungal issues among tree farms, wiping out generations of the holiday staple.

On Friday, the farm was packed with families walking about the property, either going through the aisles of fir trees or popping into the farmhouse, where they could get bags of popcorn or hot cocoa.

Melanie and Micheal Gotz said their children, Micah and Cana, would go with them into the mountains of Colorado, their previous home, every year to find a tree.

The Gotzes had recently moved from out West to Turtlecreek Twp. This was the family’s first time at a Christmas tree farm.

“They’re a little more picturesque than what we’ve had in the past,” said Melanie Gotz.

Her two children helped her and her husband find a short-needled tree with a wide base and tall frame — ideal for holding a lot of ornaments and equipped to support a tree topper.

To Melanie, the scent of pine needles is “the smell of Christmas.”

After selecting a tree, families cut it down and carry it off to an employee of the farm, who places the tree on a “Shaker” to rid the tree of any loose needles. From there, the tree is packaged in netting and fixed onto a car.

Berninger said tending to the tree farm is a 365-day-a-year gig, but he loves what he does because of the joy it brings to others.

While he was directing traffic around his farm, a woman and her granddaughter came up to him to ask questions about the farm and tell him how much they love the tradition of picking out a new Christmas tree.

“That’s exactly why we do what we do,” he said. “Just to hear about what this means to people.”