From countless challenges that threaten each year’s harvest to mounting financial pressures in an ever-changing economy, working in the Christmas tree industry is a high-stakes gamble season after season.
Despite the uncertainties, Shawn Callaway, co-owner of Brookshire Farms, remains dedicated to bringing holiday spirit to San Luis Obispo each year in the form of natural Christmas trees. His dedication is reflected in the meticulous task of growing these trees, a process that takes several years of careful planning, nurturing, and determination.
According to Callaway, after investing thousands of dollars and hundreds of hours into maintaining a tree farm, one of the most gratifying moments is when he makes some money back and brings joy to locals.
“It’s seeing a really great product that has the ability to go to somebody’s house and make them happy,” he said. “You spent nine years of your life watching this tree grow, producing it to a quality that you know will make somebody happy.”
Callaway’s history in the industry dates back to 1967, when his father opened Candy Cane Lane Christmas Tree in San Luis Obispo. In the late ’80s, Callaway took over the farm, and by 1999, they planted their first 10,000 trees on newly acquired farmland in Oregon.
After changing its name and location in 2012, Brookshire Farms now sits at 4747 Los Osos Valley Road, whereāas Callaway put itāthey provide “agri-entertainment.” To bring these services to the Central Coast, especially during the Christmas season, behind-the-scenes operations happen year-round.
Callaway plants several thousand trees on the farm in Oregon each year, but not all of those trees survive.
“We’ve had heat, fires, cold, too much water, not enough water, and it has created all kinds of havoc on our trees up there,” Callaway said. “We’ve lost probably about 65 percent of the trees we’ve planted in the last 10 years.”
According to Callaway, losing trees is disappointing not only because of the money that was put into them but also because of the time that was spent caring for them. After all, the process of growing a successful Christmas tree begins before the seed is even planted.
The first step of the process, as Callaway described, is ensuring that the soil has been prepped properly. Then, it’s time to plant the seedlings, which can be done through a variety of methods, like shovel planting or auger drilling.
Brookshire Farms grows six different tree types in Oregon, including noble firs, Douglas firs, Nordmann firs, silver tips, natural nobles, and grand firs. The growth rate of each tree type varies, but for the most part, every tree takes several years to reach a desired height.
After about two to three years of growth, the next step is basal pruning, which involves trimming all of the lower branches off of a tree using clippers. According to Callaway, this step is absolutely essential for every tree.
“You might only have five or six branches up top, but you’ve got to do that for your cutting ability and for the stand of the Christmas tree,” he said. “You’ve got to have a stump that is clear of branches.”
Throughout the next few years of growth, people tend to the trees by shaping them with shears and working on their tops. Callway’s favorite step in the tree maintenance process is top work, which consists of managing the upper growth of each Christmas tree by pruning excess tops to ensure optimal growth and symmetry.
“I get to talk to the tree, and it kind of, you know, tells you what it wants to do, or you have to tell it what to do by picking out the right bud and giving it the right direction to go,” Callaway said. “It’s really hard to explain until you see it in person, but the bud structures on the tops can determine how that tree will continue to grow.”
Around August of each year, Callaway and his team choose from the trees that have survived and are ready to harvestāthey tagged more than 11,000 this year. Some are sold wholesale across the United States, while others will be transported to the Central Coast to be sold at the farm’s two selling locations.
This year, tree sales will start on Nov. 29 at the Brookshire Farms location in San Luis Obispo and at its tree lot in the Paso Robles Fairgrounds parking lot. As he does every year, Callaway hopes that tree sales are smooth and successful.
He noted that even though they’ve faced significant challenges in maintaining their Christmas tree farm over the years, this industry has played such a major role in most of his life that it would be difficult to walk away. To stay in the business, he has had to maintain a strong sense of hope throughout the years.
“It’s always going to be better next year,” Callaway said. “I think that’s the farming mentality. We had a bad crop this year, but next year it’s going to be better. We’re going to have a good year.”
French Morgan, who has helped Callaway at Brookshire Farms for many years, jokingly called the month of Christmas tree sales “ridiculous,” noting that it can get very busy but he enjoys it every year.
“The whole thing comes down to customers walking into the lot and being almost overwhelmed with glee that they have so many choices to look at, from big to small and for the type of tree, from A to Z,” Morgan said.
To bring customers even more choices and experiences, Brookshire Farms planted more than 400 Monterey pines on its land in San Luis Obispo. Unlike the trees that grow in Oregon, these Christmas trees take only three to five years to reach full maturity.
Next season, Callaway anticipates that 3-to-4-foot Monterey pines will be available. Though this tree variety might not be everyone’s favorite, Callaway is excited to be able to offer a new Christmas tree-choosing adventure to customers.
Brookshire Farms prides itself on being a one-stop shop for Christmas-related items, like trees and wreaths, but most importantly, it prides itself on providing a unique and positive customer experience.
“Something that we truly believe in is a personal touch, and that personal touch, to me, is worth its weight in gold,” Callaway said. “I just think that’s something we can really offer at our farm.” Ī
Reach New Times editorial intern Emma Montalbano at ntintern@newtimesslo.com.
This article appears in Holiday Guide 2024.