Approximately 100 members of the association gathered at the 2nd Concession West farm owned and operated by Hubert and Irene Will to discuss various issues affecting the industry, swap tips and tour parts of the 180-acre property.

According to CTFO Executive Director Ross Gough, members from all over the province, as well as Nova Scotia, Quebec, Massachusetts and Pennsylvania, were in attendance.

"Usually, we hold annual meetings and then a field day convention; we're doing both together this year," he explained.

Gough stressed that while the natural Christmas tree industry fought a bad rap not too long ago, including claims that some "growers" were simply clear-cutting natural areas for their product, the modern Christmas tree farm is an environmentally sound operation, with a slew of benefits that leave its artificial competition in the dust.

"Natural trees are environmentally friendly," he said. "They are biodegradable, and when you harvest one, you put two back in the ground. And one advantage of real trees is there is not a lot of petroleum-based product."

Gough noted that natural Christmas trees saw a marked resurgence following the 9/11 tragedy in 2001, as people strove to return to family traditions. The trend still continues.

"We're trying to retain it," he said. One recent boost to the industry came when the David Suzuki Foundation announced its support for real Christmas trees, he added. "That was a big bonus for us."

From planting to harvesting, a Christmas tree has a 10-year growing cycle if the soil is irrigated; without irrigation, it takes from 10-12 years to reach maturity. A mature tree measures from six to 10 feet.

Like any other farmer, Christmas tree growers are at the mercy of the weather, noted Gough. "This year, we've had a very good rain cycle," he said. "Other years by this time, we have been in drought conditions."

Gough noted that practices within the industry vary from region to region. In Nova Scotia, for example, most farmers sell to wholesalers while in Ontario, the majority of the farms sell directly to the consumer. South of the border, tree farmers are concerned with many of the same issues that affect Canadian growers. But because of their numbers, they have developed a number of resources.

"People from the (United) States are in the same situation we are," said Irene Will, noting that many American universities, such as Cornell, Wisconsin and Michigan, have set up Christmas tree departments.

"The industry here is not huge enough to have its own school," said Gough. "But we have access to the information from (the American) schools.

The CTFO currently boasts 150 members who are active growers and the farms range in size from one acre to 3,000 acres. There are about a dozen members in the Hamilton-Brantford-Cambridge area. Like the Wills, most member operations are family run.

"A lot started as a retirement project, so the farmer can keep active and have some retirement income," explained Gough. "The Wills' farm is much higher end."

The Wills purchased the tree farm in 1974. Originally, it was operated as a cash crop/livestock farm, with trees as a sideline. Today, 120 acres of rolling land are planted with Balsam firs (95 per cent) and Fraser firs (5 per cent).

During the period between December 1-24, some 20,000 people visit the farm, jamming the 300-car parking lot. In addition to trees, the facility features the Christmas Store, which is jam-packed with decorations and seasonal accessories. The goal for the store in 2008 is to reach six-figure sales.

Like most farmers, the Wills have diversified the use of their operation to ensure continuity, with the addition of Lee Academy, a private elementary school owned by Steven and Alison Will, that serves surrounding urban populations. In addition, a professional farm couple, Ryan and Donna Judd, are assuming a large responsibility in the operation of the farm and Christmas Store, and moved into their own home on the farm in 2007.

Guests at the CTFO field day discussed several aspects of the Wills' operation, including the use of planting machines, what to do with old stumps (the Wills use a stump grinder), the use of mulch to control erosion, irrigation and drainage methods.

"We laid 16,000 feet of tile drain this year," noted Ryan Judd. "The whole farm has been done; the tile drains into the irrigation pond."

Of special interest to the delegates was the farm's shearing machine, which is "not subtle," said Judd, but allows him to trim 3,000 trees in a day - averaging one tree in about 16-20 seconds. Larry Downey of Downey Nursery Inc. in Quebec and president of the Canadian Christmas Tree Growers Association, also demonstrated several techniques for trimming the trees by hand. To achieve that perfect cone shape, trees are not sheared before they are four years old; after that they are meticulously attended to in the field with clippers and scissors during the early weeks of summer.

Once that perfect tree has been harvested and used to decorate the family home for the holidays, there are even further benefits. According to Gough, many are chipped up and used for mulch, while Hamilton's Royal Botanical Gardens has been using recycled trees in Cootes Paradise as a natural filter to keep unwanted species of fish from getting into local wetlands - making the natural tree the Christmas gift that keeps on giving.

More information on the CTFO is available at www.christmastrees.on.ca. Will's Christmas Store and Tree Farm is also online at www.leeacademy.com/Will%20Farms/christmas_trees.htm.