Running a tree farm

If you dream of running your own environmentally-friendly business in the great outdoors, perhaps tree farms for sale might pique your interest. 

This type of arable farming is becoming increasingly popular both with agricultural types with a farming background and those who haven’t farmed before but have some horticultural interest.

Tree farming is very attractive to lifestyle buyers –affluent city-dwellers wanting to escape the pressures of urban life. If you have the desire to run your own business in rural surroundings, you are ideally suited to managing a successful farming concern.

You cannot underestimate the popularity of gardening as a great American pastime and a hugely lucrative business. To succeed in the tree-farming business you must produce high-quality, pretty trees at competitive prices.

Increasingly, tree farming is a trend-driven enterprise, a so-called green business. Trees, which absorb carbon dioxide and expel oxygen are sometimes in short supply given the extensive deforestation over the years.

Running this type of business is an excellent way to actively redress the balance. Interest in high-quality, locally produced produce has grown in recent years. Growing concern about the carbon footprint of imported food gives American farmers a great selling point to exploit domestically.

Tree farmers work extensively, all-year round, keeping a permanent watch on their valuable crop and protecting it from adverse weather conditions and pests

Working on your own tree farms for sale means plenty of time in the fresh air, from planting trees, through irrigation and maintenance of your crop, to the final sale and transporting trees to customers.

Vastly different to the average office treadmill, it is time-consuming – but satisfying. Tree farmers work extensively, all-year round, keeping a permanent watch on their valuable crop and protecting it from adverse weather conditions and pests.

There is also a joy in running a tree farm which differs from traditional livestock farming. Growing trees in traditional fields and supporting both American wildlife and your local environment is a great feeling. Tree farming can be profitable and, with the right constituents, a long and healthy business.

Choose your acreage and product

The first decision to make is what products you wish to grow and sell and how to find the best quality land on which your trees can flourish. Farms with a large acreage will obviously have more room to grow enough trees for a sustainable business.

Tree farmers are not limited to growing only one type of tree. Once you have assessed the size and quality of the tree farm you wish to purchase, it’s worth investigating which trees are grown and if there are any other species you’d like to grow.

Shade trees, such as maple and ash, are popular farmed trees, as are evergreen species like spruce and pines, which are particularly in demand for use as Christmas trees. There is also a large American market for ornamental trees such as acers, as well as fruit trees which can be sold for their aesthetic qualities and for customers wanting to cultivate their own lemons, oranges or olives.

Climate

The prevailing climate of your chosen location is important. Not all species can be farmed in every state as certain varieties will require a richer soil or cooler climate than others. You must also be prepared for the capriciousness of weather and have contingency plans for unusual weather patterns.

Some species are more time-consuming to nurture than others, so you need to consider how much labor you can call on, but pruning will always be required. For example, Christmas trees should be pruned to keep their special triangle shape. 

Tree farming requires different work depending on the season. Some periods will require daily attention, constant irrigation. You can literally sow the seeds now for your tree farm to grow in turnover and stature in later years.

Customers

Tree farm owners are not restricted in their choice of client; with wholesalers, retailers and impulse customers driving past all being potential sources of revenue. Don’t underestimate those individual customers, as Americans are willing to spend good money to secure ideal specimens to complement their gardens. Tree farms also attract arboreal business customers such as landscape gardeners and garden center owners.

A good selection of trees and impeccable customer service will help you build the reputation necessary to inform customers that you can meet their horticultural needs. Undertaking horticultural training will help you provide expert advice to customers on how to prolong the life of their trees. 

Christmas tree farms

If you are considering running a Christmas tree farm then you will need to cultivate products that will be as desirable to families seeking the perfect holiday tree as they are to businesses wanting a large, sturdy, long-lasting evergreen for their workplace.

Christmas tree farms are renowned for making the majority of sales during a few short months of the year, but if you reveal the right, coveted product year-on-year you’ll entice garden centers to request larger numbers.

Ornamental trees, which are cultivated for their appearance or rarity, can appeal to wealthy buyers from far afield so consider marketing such produce beyond your local market. Essential to this, in the modern age, is harnessing the internet, so get yourself a website if your acquisition doesn’t already have one. 

Of course, with a variety of products comes the necessity to list a range of prices. Ensure that you price for wholesale and direct retail customers accordingly, plus consider reducing selling prices as demand and the age of the trees necessitates.

Additional services

Customers will often need to visit your farm in order to see the product as it grows. This gives you an opportunity to provide other services to attract business.

Tree farms frequently have an on-site gift shop selling all kinds of paraphernalia to support the core business. A shop may sell ornaments and lights, or plant-related items such as feed or other plants, like poinsettias at Christmas.  A gift shop will provide a steady revenue source throughout the year. However, it will require staff with retail training and a supply of products from outside of the tree farm.

Additionally, with any tree farm you can make the experience more hands-on by allowing customers to “cut their own”.

Although tree farms involve long working hours and hard physical labor, sometimes in the wet and cold, it’s a feel-good business with great growth potential, and one that can help the environment.

Read about running an organic plant nursery

Visit the U.S. Department of Agriculture