Christmas Tree Growers Meeting

When:
July 13, 2019 @ 8:30 am – 3:00 pm
2019-07-13T08:30:00-04:00
2019-07-13T15:00:00-04:00
Where:
Sugarledge Farm
5 West Hill Road
Cummington
MA

The Massachusetts Christmas Tree Association will hold a Growers Training & Tour at the Jon & Carrie Cranston’s Sugarledge Farm in Plainfield on Saturday from 8:30 am to 3 pm.

Jon Cranston, who co-owns Cranston’s Tree Farm in Ashfield with his brother, Seth, owns and operates Sugarledge Stone Quarry in Cummington.  He and Carrie have been rehabilitating their 450 acre farm in Cummington and Plainfield which her family has owned for 200 years.  In 2013 they began planting Christmas trees there and have 6,000 trees now, including Balsam & Fraser firs and Korean Corkbark.

Schedule:

8:30 am          Coffee, doughnuts

9 – 10 am       Tree Farm tour and discussion of challenges of starting a new plantation with varied soil conditions, trees species, elevation effects, wildlife challenges, pest & weed management, community relations and employee concerns

10 – 12           UConn Entomologist Richard Cowles will discuss Cryptomeria, elongated hemlock Scale, phytophthora root rot, spotted lanternfly, and western pine moth and how to deal with them.  (2 pesticide credits available)

Noon              Lunch  provided  (bring chairs)

1 – 2 pm         Quarry tour

2 – 3 pm         Christmas Tree Association Directors meeting  (all members welcome)

Christmas Tree Plantation is located just north of Sugarledge Stone Quarry on West Hill Road in Cummington.

For more information, see http://www.christmas-trees.org/calendar.htm