by Gail Falk, Staff Writer
In mid-November, when most Vermont farmers are putting their fields to bed, East Montpelier tree farmer Timo Bradley is getting ready for his annual harvest. By Thanksgiving, Bradley, his twin brother Markus, and friend John Hogan will have cut, baled, and tagged about 1,500 holiday trees from their acreage off Bliss Road and Center Road.
Bradley, who grew up in Calais and went to U-32 and UVM, has been growing trees in East Montpelier for 30 years, since veteran tree farmer Jim Goodall took him under his wing and taught him the trade. Every spring, Bradley and his partners plant about 1,500 saplings, which grow to Christmas tree size in 10 to 15 years. They grow a variety of firs: Canaan firs, Fraser firs, and Balsam firs., which grow interspersed with spruce volunteers. They locate each seedling under the drip line of a tree that is marked for harvest in the fall. This protects the young plants and keeps the trees spaced.
This year’s crop is looking good, says Bradley. The drought has been a concern but not a problem because of the mixed terrain of his land.
Tree farming is a side gig for Bradley, whose full-time work is co-managing TimberHomes Vermont. He says growing trees “is my happy place,” where he can be out with the trees, away from phone and e-mail. The business is strictly wholesale — no cut-your-own tree sales. The trees all go to retailers like Plainfield Co-op.
Bradley has been selling his trees at the Route 2 Plainfield Hardware location since the store was Legare’s. He enjoyed working with Rick and Gaye Christiansen during their tenure and now finds it “an absolute pleasure” to work with Michael Hoffman and the Co-op staff.
In the week before Thanksgiving Hoffman will lead a crew from the store and a crew from Mike Brown trucking in East Montpelier to the tree plantations. There they will load the baled trees onto Brown’s flatbed trucks and deliver them to the Plainfield Co-op greenhouse, which will be transformed into an aromatic seasonal treescape.
At Plainfield Co-op, Black Friday isn’t a day for pushing and shoving crowds competing for sales. It’s a day to breathe in the wonderful scent of the new-cut fir trees. It’s a day to pick out your fresh, locally grown holiday tree. Tree sales will continue until Christmas or until all trees are sold.
Photo Credits: Timo and Santa
