New Tree Farms Are Growing Holiday Memories

When the pandemic kept people from traveling for the holidays in 2020, the demand for Christmas trees reached unprecedented levels across the country. Local demand was exacerbated by the closing of Tannenbaum Farms in 2021, and even long-established Christmas tree farms found themselves running out of inventory by the first or second weekend in December last year. 

With an apparent need for new sources of Christmas trees, a few local families are stepping up to fill that void—and hoping to create memorable experiences for the community in the process.

‘The perfect centerpiece for Christmas’

Tuckaway Tree Farm 

As a child growing up in Somerset, Larry Latta dreamed of someday owning a farm with no animals. His mother saved a first-grade paper in which he stated that he wanted to be a tractor driver when he grew up. 

Meanwhile, Ashley Latta had a connection with trees from the time she volunteered on an Arbor Day committee as a student at Huntingdon Area High School. 

The couple spent several years living in Pittsburgh and working in white collar industries—Larry in financial planning and insurance sales, Ashley in information technology—but eventually they found their way back to their childhood interests as the new owners of Tuckaway Tree Farm in Petersburg, just over Tussey Mountain in Huntingdon County.

While Larry jokes that they decided to buy the farm after watching too many Hallmark movies, the idea was actually sparked when the couple got married nearby at Fern Hill on the grounds of C. Barton McCann School of Art in 2013.

“We drove past this farm, and we thought, ‘Wow, it’s so beautiful,’” Ashley says. “My grandfather said he knew the owner and that it was for sale. That started the conversation.”

It took three more years to convince her grandfather that they were serious enough about potentially buying the farm to be introduced to the owner, Bob Nicholl. At the time, Nicholl was preparing to exit the business and had not planted new trees on the property in five years. It takes six to eight years for a seedling to reach Christmas tree status, and with no young trees in the pipeline, the Lattas decided it was not the right time to make the leap.

Nicholl began planting trees again that year, so in 2020, with no agricultural experience, the Lattas left city life behind to become full-time farmers, purchasing 36 acres of land and moving into an A-frame house on the property. 

“We figured since we had some momentum we could keep planting for about three more years and then start to sell Christmas trees and open up,” Ashley says.

As they learned the ins and outs of pest management, weed control, fertilizing and pruning trees, the Lattas relied on guidance from Nicholl, who continues to live on 30 acres next door, and say they have also learned a lot through their involvement with the Pennsylvania Christmas Tree Growers Association. 

The Lattas now have about 16,000 trees to tend. Larry works full-time on the farm. Ashley continues to work remotely at her IT job but helps out with the farming on evenings and weekends.

Last year was a big year for the couple, as they welcomed their first baby, a son, and opened up for Christmas tree sales for the first time. They sold Douglas firs, Canaan firs and concolor firs, and expect to do the same this year. Although they have limited inventory, they expect to have slightly taller trees for sale (up to eight feet).

To deal with the demand, they will hold a ticketed presale on the first weekend of November, allowing people to choose a tree and decorate it as it sits on the field. Prizes will be awarded for the best-decorated trees. 

“It’s fun, it makes it easy for people to see that a tree is tagged, and it makes it easy to find your tree when you’re ready to cut it down,” Ashley says. 

No matter the size of the tree, customers can expect them to look great, Ashley says.

“Larry works hard to make sure we have really nicely shaped trees. We want them to be the perfect centerpiece for everyone’s Christmas,” she says.

Larry adds, “Even though they were small last year, a lot of people would say, ‘Your shape is beautiful.’ And that was coming from landscapers and horticulture professors. That was rewarding.” 

On top of that, he says, “I have so many days that I’m working all by myself, just completely alone, so to have people out to the farm last year, tagging the trees, kids running around—that was the best.”

To attract community members outside of the Christmas tree season, the Lattas also grow pumpkins and flowers to sell, and they plan to host a fall festival on the first weekend of autumn each year. They also rent camping spaces for tents and RVs, and even have a “glamping” tent that overlooks a beautiful pond.

“We fell in love with the property, and our goal is to find more ways to share it with other people,” Larry says.  

The next generation of farmers

Wasscott Fields and Farm

Bryan Wasson and Grace Scott-Wasson had plenty of agricultural experience under their belt when they decided to start their Christmas tree farm in Centre Hall. In fact, you could say farming is in their blood.

Bryan’s family has owned a nearby dairy farm, Willow Run Farm, for many years, and in addition to running his new farm, Bryan still works there. He and Grace and their two children live in a house on that property.

Bryan also worked a few miles away at Tannenbaum Farms for 13 years. He was trimming trees there as a high school student when he first got wind that the owners, Craig and Martha Weidensaul, were starting to think of retiring.

“I thought this could be a fun project as I got older,” he says.

The Weidensauls encouraged him, saying the industry needed young people. His grandfather echoed the sentiment, and so did a faculty member Bryan met at Pennsylvania College of Technology in Williamsport, where he studied horticulture and plant science. 

It was at Penn College that he also met Grace, who comes from four generations of farmers. Her father currently owns a produce farm in Selinsgrove. 

In 2017, the young couple purchased ten acres along Williams Road in Centre Hall, and in 2019 they planted their first trees. They also took over the maintenance of the remaining trees at Tannenbaum Farms, some of which they were able to harvest and sell when they opened for business in 2022. In addition, the faculty member Bryan befriended owns Shelinski’s Tree Farm in Lycoming County, and he provided the couple with about 50 trees to sell last year.

They plan to do the same kind of thing this year, hoping to have at least 300 pre-cut trees for sale. 

There are now about 8,200 trees planted in the Wasscott fields, including concolor firs, Fraser firs and white pines. The couple’s goal is to someday have 15,000, and they plan to start selling their own trees by 2027. 

Their farming background has helped them get a healthy start, but they have learned some lessons the hard way, like when they lost about 30% of the seedlings they planted their first year due to a drought—they had cut the root hairs too short to reach wet soil deep in the ground. 

Before opening for tree sales last year, the Wassons erected a cozy red building along the road. This is where they set up their Christmas shop. During the spring and summer, it becomes a produce stand, where the couple sells produce they grow themselves—like strawberries, peppers and sweet corn—and some they get from Grace’s father’s farm and from auction. They also grow and sell cut flowers and pumpkins, and this year they hosted their first fall festival, complete with a corn maze and barrel train rides. 

Managing all of this is a full-time job that begins in February with lots of planning and mapping out fields at the kitchen table, Bryan says. Yet he still maintains his full-time job on the dairy farm, and Grace works full-time remotely for Mount Nittany Health. They also have a son, age five, and a daughter, age one. As Bryan and Grace grow their farm, they do so with an eye toward their children’s future.

“Thank goodness we have family nearby who help us with our kids,” Grace says. “They don’t always like to trail along when it’s hot and we’re working out here.”

“We try to keep it interesting for them; we don’t want to give them a sour taste. We want them to maybe want to take this over someday,” Bryan says. “Four or five years ago, this was a hobby, and I still call it a hobby. But I also think about, ‘Where could it go?’”

Meanwhile, the Wassons say they are looking forward to welcoming the community for their second Christmas season.

“Our goal is to make this a nice, homey place for the public to come and have a family experience, and enjoy some bonding time,” Bryan says. 

‘A family thing’

Dailey’s Lone Pine Ranch

Creating a family bonding experience is also a big part of the vision Fred Dailey has for his Christmas tree farm. Having vision is a necessity, because he truly is starting his business from scratch. 

Just two years ago, he and his wife, Bonnie, started planting seedlings on nine acres of land where his landscape business, Dailey’s Lawn Care, is headquartered—along Route 322, just beyond two other tree farms, Tait Farm and Kuhns. 

The Daileys plant approximately 1,500 trees per year. Although Fred says he does not expect to be able to sell his first tree until 2028, he has acquired just about everything he needs for the business, including tractors and equipment like a tree baler, a shaker, power saws and a drill, some of which he purchased from Tannenbaum Farms when it closed. He plans to build a barn in the middle of the property, where all of the shaking, baling and selling will happen. 

It’s fair to wonder why an already busy, successful business owner might undertake another big project such as this. Fred counts off three reasons on his fingers: “Hobby, family and community.”

Fred is a man who enjoys staying active and trying new things. He likes the idea of getting his sons, Jared and Oliver, involved in the endeavor. Perhaps most of all, he is a social person who wants to create something of value for the community.

“I really want this to be a family thing. You come here, you’ll get a hayride around the property, you’ll cut your own tree, see Santa. We’ll have a campfire and s’mores, and maybe even a pizza oven,” he says.

To add to the holiday magic, Fred purchased three of the larger-than-life metal “toys” that formerly sat outside of Miller Welding Services along West College Avenue. The giant bicycle, nutcracker and rocking horse now stand at the front of Dailey’s Lone Pine Ranch, easily visible from the highway.

Also visible is the antique dump truck painted in the Dailey’s Lawn Care signature pink that adorns the company’s fleet of landscaping vehicles as a way to raise awareness in honor of his late mother’s battle with breast cancer. 

A new addition to his fleet is a 1950 Chevy truck painted dark red with the Lone Pine Ranch logo on the side. The logo includes a pink breast cancer ribbon atop a Christmas tree, and a portion of the proceeds from every tree sold at Lone Pine Ranch will be donated to breast cancer organizations.

Dailey has invested a lot of energy and money into bringing his vision alive. Now, he says, “We just need the trees to grow.” T&G

WHERE TO FIND A REAL CHRISTMAS TREE

These local farms grow their own Christmas trees and are located within 30 minutes of State College. All open for tree sales on Friday, Nov. 24, unless otherwise noted. There has been a higher demand for real Christmas trees since 2020, so inventory may be limited.

Evergreen Ridge
1503 Dix Run Road, Julian
(814) 933-6953
facebook.com/p/Evergreen-Ridge-LLC-100049955426241/
Open: Fridays 1-5 p.m.; Saturdays and Sundays 9 a.m.-5 p.m.
Tree Varieties: Douglas, Fraser and Canadian firs. Inventory limited
Price: $45 per tree
Also available: wreaths

Harner Farm
2191 W. Whitehall Rd, State College
(814) 237-7919
facebook.com/harnerfarm
Open: Monday-Saturday 9 a.m.-5 p.m.; Sundays 1-5 p.m. Christmas tree sales start prior to Thanksgiving.
Tree varieties: Canaan, Douglas, Fraser and concolor firs. Cut-your-own and pre-cut available. Baling, shaking, drilling provided.
Tree-tagging: yes, any time
Price: to be determined
Also available: wreaths, other holiday items.

Kuhns Tree Farm
2112 Boal Avenue, Boalsburg
(814) 441-3964
facebook.com/KuhnsTreeFarm
Open: Tuesday-Sunday 9 a.m.-5 p.m.; closed Mondays. Limited inventory
Tree varieties: Fraser firs. Cut-your-own and pre-cut available. Baling, shaking, drilling provided.
Tree-tagging: yes, any time
Price: by the foot, to be determined
Also available: wreaths, centerpieces, other holiday items.

Tait Farm Trees
121 Tait Road, Centre Hall
(814) 380-1109
taitfarmtrees.net
Open: Daily, 9 a.m.-6 p.m. Christmas tree sales start prior to Thanksgiving
Tree varieties: Canaan and Fraser firs. Cut-your-own and pre-cut available. Baling, shaking, drilling provided.
Tree-tagging: yes, any time.
Price: $84-$125
Also available: wreaths, arrangements, ornaments.

Tuckaway Tree Farm
13872 Alan Seeger Road, Petersburg
(814) 205-6144
tuckawaytreefarm.com | facebook.com/tuckawaytrees
Open: Black Friday 10 a.m.-4 p.m.; Saturdays 10 a.m.-4 p.m., Sundays noon-4 p.m., weekdays by appointment
Tree varieties: Canaan and Douglas firs. Limited inventory. Cut-your-own. Baling, shaking, drilling provided.
Tree tagging: No longer available.
Price: $50-$90
Also available: free hot chocolate bar, wreaths, centerpieces, other holiday items.

Wasscott Fields and Farm
289 Williams Road, Centre Hall
(570) 850-0421
facebook.com/p/Wasscott-Fields-and-Farm-100079927853337/
Open: Friday-Sunday 9 a.m.-5 p.m. First-come, first-served.
Tree varieties: concolor fir, Fraser fir, white pine. Limited inventory. Pre-cut. Baling, shaking, drilling provided.
Price: by the foot, to be determined
Also available: wreaths, centerpieces, other holiday items.