Modern Christmas tree production is an extremely sustainable and conservation friendly land management option.
This is the strongly held view of Tony Johnston, the owner of Northern Ireland Farm Forestry.
The business produces 8,000 Christmas trees for sale to the general public and the commercial trade sectors on an annual basis.
This makes it the largest producer of Christmas trees that are both grown and subsequently sold in Northern Ireland.
The headquarters of the operation is based at the Johnston family farm on the outskirts of Dundonald in Co. Down.
The decision to commit to Christmas tree production was taken 23 years ago.
“All of our sales to the public take place at Dundonald. However, we also grow trees at seven other sites across Northern Ireland.
“The home farm comprises 26ac. Currently, we have a total of 76ac devoted to Christmas tree production,” Johnston said.
The difference between growing a tree for commercial forestry production and one dedicated for the Christmas market is immense, as Johnston is quick to point out.
“Christmas tree production requires a year-round management input shaping trees to meet the exact needs of customers.
“There is a also a significant difference in the species of tree used for the Christmas market.
“Currently, Nordman Firs are an extremely popular option. But we also grow Canaan Firs, Fraser Firs plus a range of pine and spruce options.
“Norway spruce would have been a very traditional Christmas tree option. However, we are now growing Meyer spruce, which do not drop their needles,” Johnston explained.
It takes at least eight years to take a young sapling through to a size and shape that meets the requirement of the Christmas market.
The team at Northern Ireland Farm Forestry buy-in three-year-old seedlings, which are then managed in a very bespoke manner.
“It take a couple of years for the young trees to get established. So, we basically allow them to get on with that process. After that, we start to manually shape the trees throughout the subsequent growing seasons.
“This entails the removal of specific growing tips. We also apply plant auxins, as and when required. The reality is, that working with Christmas trees is a year-long commitment,” he continued.
Recent years have also seen a dramatic improvement in the genetic make-up of Christmas trees.
Changes in the way its Christmas tree plantations are managed have also been a feature of the way in which Northern Ireland Farm Forestry has evolved over recent years.
An increase in the spacing between tress has been at the heart of the process.
“At the outset, the trees had a 1.25m spacing. This was subsequently increased to 1.3m. Taking this approach made a fundamental difference to the way in which our plantations are managed.
“In the first instance, it meant that we could physically mow the grass between the rows of trees. This has allowed us to become almost herbicide free in terms of weed control practices.
“As a matter of course, we no longer apply chemical fertiliser to the land on which the trees are growing.
“This reflects the improvement in the genetics of the tree stocks now available and our commitment to run the business on a nature-friendly basis,” Johnston explained.
These changes have made a tremendous – and positive – difference in terms of the wildlife living and visiting the Dundonald site.
In the past, Johnston and his team have sold trees to Great Britain and the Republic of Ireland.
“This year we are concentrating on our home market here in Northern Ireland. Our main focus is to drive innovation through the business, looking eight years ahead,” he added.
Back in 2019, Northern Ireland Farm Forestry won the Irish Championship of Christmas Tree Growing accolade.
On the back of this, the business secured the opportunity of supplying a range of Premiership footballers, living in the Alderley Edge area of Cheshire with their annual Christmas trees.
“This was organised through a trade customer in that area.
“The principle involved was a simple one: champions supplying champions. As a result, our best trees were selected for this specific market outlet.
“In the past we have also supplied the state tree to the Irish president, which featured in Aras an Uchtarain,” Jonhston said.
The first Christmas tree was planted by Johnston and his team at Dundonald back in 20021. The site, which is characterised by a sandy loam soil, had previously been used for vegetable production.
Given the high vale nature of the crops the trees were replacing, the pressure was on from the get-go to have the new business performing well from the outset.
Of the 8,000 trees sold this year, approximately half will be purchased directly by members of the general public.
Planting of new tree stocks gets underway in March, once the soil starts to warm up again.
Prior to that the stumps left from the previous year’s harvest are ground down to surface level. What’s left is then allowed to rot away naturally.
Every effort is made to retain the natural structure of the soils in which the trees are planted. The plan is to further extend the area of land committee to Christmas tree production over the coming years.
The shape of a Christmas tree is critically important. This is achieved by nipping out specific growth buds from the spring period only.
“We also apply synthetic plant auxins using paint rollers to curtail the level of cell extension within tress. This is to ensure that we produce crops that are of a uniform height. This is a very labour intensive process,” according to Johnston.
The total market for Christmas trees is accounted for by two groups: those who buy fake trees and those who seek out the real option.
According to Johnston, people committed to fake trees will very rarely switch.
“Those buying a real tree are striving to re-live memories form their own childhoods. So, what we are trying to do now is capture young families and help them to create a tradition of their own.
“Christmas trees are a very expensive product to produce. There is a significant human resource required to produce a tree that is fit for purpose.
“However, in our case, we are trying to balance our cost with a price to the consumer that is reasonable.
“In practical terms, this means growing new tree species that are faster growing. We are also producing trees that are lighter and easier to handle.”
“As an industry we are seeking to produce lighter and more open trees with a significant value,” he further explained.
Wildlife habitat creation is at the very heart of the Christmas tree business model that has been developed by Northern Ireland Farm Forestry.
According to Johnston, there will always be an understory of growing herbage around all the Christmas trees, irrespective of their size or age.
“This will include grass, clover and wild flowers. As a result, the ground is alive. We find that a lot of mice make the homes within the plantations. In turn, this is attracting birds of prey, including the likes of kestrels.
“We are the first nature friendly Christmas tree farm in Britain and Ireland.
“And we are taking every opportunity to publicly extol these virtues,” he said.
