Placerville Christmas Tree Farm Keeps Tradition Alive Through Drought And Fire

PLACERVILLE (CBS13) — At a third-generation Christmas histrion workplace successful Placerville, determination is nary occupation that goes unsolved whitethorn it beryllium drought, h2o restrictions, oregon wildfire — the McGee Family knows their workplace is portion of different families’ vacation traditions.

That committedness to supply the Christmas staple of a tree, made by Eli McGee’s grandparents earlier helium was born, is what helium says makes the problems and the sometimes-elusive solutions worthy it. He took implicit the McGee Christmas Tree Farm six months agone successful the spring. His father, Mike, is inactive his go-to for advice, but he’s making his ain way, too.

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“It’s ever something, whether it’s a pest you have, oregon a caller weed problem, oregon caller maturation problem. Farming is conscionable figuring retired what problems you person and however to lick them,” said McGee. 

The impacts of California’s statewide drought are felt by McGee erstwhile helium recalls however seedlings did this year. He planted immoderate successful February 2021, and 80% of those caller plantings died. Maybe it was excessively dry, possibly excessively blistery for excessively galore days successful a row, but now, McGee said, helium has to effort thing new.

“After we planted successful February, determination was not overmuch rainfall falling to support those moisturized and healthy,” said McGee. 

Then came irrigation, but determination were h2o restrictions, too.

To turn caller trees faster, McGee utilizes stump culturing, which means he’s capable to turn caller trees from the stumps of trees that person been cut. In immoderate cases, the signifier cuts down increasing clip from upwards of a decennary to 4-6 years.

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“The earlier we tin merchantability a tree, the earlier we tin get that stump civilization going and get different 1 back,” said McGee. 

Then, the Caldor Fire burned done the family’s outer workplace successful Grizzly Flats, destroying 5 acres of the farm’s trees they would bring to the Placerville determination to sell.

The farm, present referred to arsenic a outer determination to supplement trees grown successful Placerville, was the McGee’s archetypal farm. McGee said his grandparents were surrounded by evergreens and started selling. As their concern grew, it stayed successful the family.

“I’ve ever been heavy progressive successful the income side. It’s a afloat household effort. We person my aunts and sisters and cousins assistance retired during the existent merchantability season,” said McGee. 

Guided done new, oregon old, challenges successful farming, McGee said helium looks to his Dad, and the manufacture does, too. Mike was diagnosed successful 2015 with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, oregon ALS, but McGee stays positive.

“Right now, I’m conscionable doing the champion I tin to larn from him and larn each that off-season worldly that I don’t person arsenic overmuch acquisition with,” said McGee. 

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The McGee Christmas Farm is scheduled to beryllium unfastened for 5 days opening Thanksgiving weekend, but McGee said they volition lone beryllium capable to enactment unfastened arsenic agelong arsenic they person trees to sell.