The Big Impact of a Small Business

At River Bend Christmas Tree Farm, a decade-long lead time capped by a blistering sprint into the holiday season sets the stage for a family of tree farmers to grow happy holiday memories.

During December, the Carpenter family’s years of hard work are finally rewarded by the sight of other families visiting River Bend Christmas Tree Farm to pick out a tree. 

Christmas trees are a big business in New York. Approximately 875 tree farms spread across nearly 19,000 acres in the state. Creating a $14 million impact on the economy, according to the NYS Department of Agriculture, and earning New York its ranking as the fourth largest Christmas tree producer in the nation. 

In the last century, Christmas tree farms have become increasingly popular. They are a source of community pride that strengthens environmental sustainability. Visiting one is an educational opportunity as well as a holiday tradition. 

For successful small businesses like River Bend Christmas Tree Farms, surviving the changing climate and shifts in consumer demand (while maximizing profit and minimizing workload) is a balancing act that takes more than a little dash of holiday magic. 

Tree-mendous Turn Around Times

River Bend Christmas Tree Farm was founded in 1967. In the 1980s, Bruce Carpenter and his father-in-law, Francis Cancro, started growing Christmas trees on a small plot of land in the Village of Corinth, NY to earn extra money for his son, Jim’s, college education. As the trees grew, so did the business. Bruce and his wife, Rosann, purchased River Bend Tree Farm from Victor Orto just across the Hudson River from their existing trees. Jim grew up in the business. At age 11, he was already excelling at wreath-making (it has continued to be one of his favorite parts of the business ever since). 

For the last five years, Jim has been managing the tree farm. Genetically better trees have allowed him to speed up the time it takes between when a small tree is planted until it can be harvested. By selecting superior tree stock and fertilizers, his trees have a stronger root system, better shape, and are more drought tolerant than varieties that were grown decades ago, he said. 

Despite these advances, plant survival rates have diminished so that now he must plant two trees for each Christmas tree he expects to harvest. Every two-year-old tree transplant has been carefully cared for in a tree nursery, but once it’s planted in the field, all that’s left to do is to hope, said Jim. During their eight-to-twelve-year growth cycle, trees are now exposed to a warmer climate that allows fungi, invasive species, and grubs to survive and wreak havoc on vulnerable vegetation.

Although climate is a growing concern, along with the significant time investment in Christmas tree farming, comes greater insulation from seasonal weather fluctuations. “We don’t feel the same pressure when there’s one dry year, it doesn’t make for a bad crop. We don’t live and die by what happens that one season,” said Jim. 

Fir-Sure Forecasting 

From the 1960’s to the 1990’s, River Bend Christmas Tree Farm mainly grew Scotch Pine and White Spruce trees for wholesale markets. Pines have lengthy needles and are long lasting, but now, consumer preferences have changed. 

Today, the farm specializes in cut-your-own trees and customers predominantly prefer the farm’s fragrant fir varieties, including: Fraser, Cannan, Balsam, and Concolor (White) fir trees. 

In 2023, River Bend Christmas Tree Farm, which is only open from 9am – 4pm on Saturdays and Sundays, sold out for the year in just six days. In that time, 2,500 – 4,000 visitors made their way through the farm, choosing hundreds of trees. A full 50 percent of the farm’s revenue is generated annually during the Thanksgiving three-day weekend. 

One thing every customer visiting the farm has in common? They are all looking for a convenient experience, said Jim. 

Beginning in October (after the second hard frost), the rush is on to make wreaths, garlands, and kissing balls. Trees are easily cut from the field and transported home to be stood up easily by drilling for their Stand Strait tree stands and netting equipment. They also provide tree stands that hold gallons of water, making maintaining these trees easier. Inside their small gift shop, a pot-belly stove warms visitors as they peruse the holiday decorations and local products, including the Carpenter family’s own maple syrup. 

Sweetening Seasonal Strategies

Making maple syrup was something Bruce Carpenter had always wanted to do and in 2020, he discovered his small operation, located on 50 acres in Minerva, had produced more than ever. With the help of Jim’s husband Matt Smith, an online store was created with the Saratoga Maple branding and the family began selling the syrup under both the Minerva Maple and the Saratoga Maple names. 

“It’s the same maple in both bottles, but it’s become a fun game within the family to see which sells more. It’s a friendly competition that’s grown to be something really special,” said Jim. 

Held to the “ultra-premium” USDA grade standards, they are extremely particular about the science behind the syrup, he said.  Local customers, as well as those in Texas, Florida, and Kentucky, really like the Adirondack flavor profile in their line of products (which includes barrel-aged bourbon syrup, maple candy, cream, jellies, and spreads). 

Sold year-round at local shops including the TasteNY Adirondack Welcome Center, the Skidmore Campus Store, and the Saratoga Casino Hotel, by diversifying into maple, they generate additional revenue that goes right back into the business, said Jim. 

Giving Back and Growing 

Assembling and shipping hundreds of maple gift baskets adds to the holiday’s hectic pace, but whether they’re harvesting trees or maple, the Carpenter’s small business is a joyful one. 

To help spread the spirit of the season even further, since Trees for Troops was founded in 2006, River Bend Christmas Tree Farm has gifted trees to hundreds of military families around the world through the program. 

Today, they are continuing to grow their agricultural endeavors with a new storage building, more (and newer) equipment. This fall, the Carpenter family is planning to offer pumpkins to their abundant tree and maple harvest. 

For more information, visit River Bend Christmas Tree Farm, 164 E. River Drive, Lake Luzerne, on Facebook and at https://www.riverbendchristmastreefarm.com and https://saratogamaple.com