My last column talked about how to grow and shape the perfect Christmas tree, taking it from a small plant to the centerpiece of a holiday celebration. But what about the tree itself? High value is placed on needle retention and an evergreen smell to get revelers through four-plus holiday weeks. Thus, people often select a Balsam or Fraser fir. I'd like to throw another name in the hat - or forest: the Canaan fir (pronounced "ka-nann" with emphasis on the last syllable).
A lesser-known and perhaps undervalued tree hailing from the mountains of West Virginia (the Canaan Valley), it can be used for landscaping, hedges, screening and Christmas trees.
A tree suited for Vermont, the Canaan fir is ready to battle - and win - over climate change, difficult soils, spring frosts, insects and tree diseases that plague other conifers.
If any one of these factors is too prevalent, Vermont farmers could lose a large percentage of tree growth in a given season (putting a harvest back a year or more) - something that happened to me on my farm.
When we (my wife and I) bought land for our Mountain Mead Farm in Worcester I had certain criteria that I felt we needed: views, privacy, a pond site, a brook, hardwood forests and fields to plant trees.
Canaan fir
Looking back, I should have paused at the abundance of alders, swamp grass and native Balsam firs on the property (which would eventually spread disease to my newly planted trees); and, in those first years, Vermont had late-season, mid-June frosts that killed off bud growth.
After many mistakes and failures, I realized that we needed to change trees if we were going to succeed.
We purchased some bracted Balsam firs, which were a big improvement until we discovered the Canaan fir, the tree that we now use predominantly on our farm.
At the time, this tree type was a relative newcomer to the Christmas tree market. It is similar to both the Fraser and Balsam firs (loved by Vermonters) in growth and appearance, some considering the Canaan to be a Balsam varietal and others a distinct species.
The Canaan fir is a medium-sized tree and exhibits a classic, relatively dense crown with a spire-like tip, good needle retention and a pleasant smell. Its dark blue-green color, with silver bands on the underside of the needles, is attractive for any of its potential uses.
The tree can grow in conditions that other firs cannot tolerate, such as wet soils with poor drainage and cool temperatures.
The Canaan fir also breaks bud later in the season, some not in full bloom until after July 4, making it less susceptible to a late-spring frost, some tree diseases and pests (aphids, mites and wooly adelgids).
Spring can make or break a Christmas tree crop. If a late frost hits, a tree farmer won't lose as much growth with a Canaan fir because its buds aren't out yet, and when the major pests are attacking the Balsam firs, the Canaan firs are still dormant.
When placed side by side with its cousins, it's hard to distinguish between the tree types, so many people don't know that Canaan firs exist or are different, and their use as landscape ornamentals has gone largely unnoticed.
So, when you are looking for your next landscape tree - an attractive planting for your garden or as a windbreak - consider the Canaan fir variety.
It has proven itself as a worthy adversary to Vermont's environmental conditions while remaining a beautiful, scented option for farming, decorating and designing - both inside and outside.
Visit the NH-VT Christmas Tree Association site, nh-vtchristmastree.org, for a list of Canaan fir tree growers in your area.
This article was also published in the Stowe Reporter.