CLEARFIELD – Christmas tree shopping this year, like many other things in 2020 will be a bit different due to COVID-19 restrictions.
But Pine Grove Nursery, located between Clearfield and Glen Richey, is still ready to help you pick out the perfect live tree for your family.
The nursery is known for its beautifully-shaped trees, which is the result of the dedication of their employees some of whom have been working there for 40 and in one case, 50 years.
“They take care of the trees as if they are their children,” said Judy Davis, office manager for the business.
Already things have been busier than usual.
Black Friday “was all a blur,” said Davis as the day was extremely fast-paced with everyone bringing their families out to get a tree.
COVID rules are in place with 70 to 80 pre-cut trees lined up in stands outside for browsing instead of being inside the garages.
When people go into the building to pay for their tree, they will need to wear a mask and comply with social distancing. They have painted Christmas trees on the floor to mark the recommended six feet restrictions.
An employee will be behind a Plexiglas window, making the payment a safer transaction. People can also phone ahead and pay by credit card to further reduce contact.
They have taken steps to “make it safe for both of us (customers and employees),” Davis said.
Of course, social distancing is easy when you have 105 acres of trees to look at before choosing your perfect tree, making it a smarter choice than shopping in a big store with lots of people.
Customers can browse now and tag their tree for cutting/pick up at a later time.
Davis noted that their business was impacted by the pandemic in the spring, which is normally when they sell seedlings.
At that time, some people did come from New York and New Jersey to pick up their orders, but they paid ahead and their items were left outside for them to pick up, or they paid outside to ensure the company was following COVID guidelines.
“We would not have been able to survive if we were not open then,” she explained.
They did end up losing some of their regular orders in those states because the customers did not have the workers necessary to plant the seedlings.
One of their seedlings from a previous year was chosen for this year’s Capital Christmas Tree, she said proudly.
It was originally grown on their farm for a few years before being sold for transplant at another tree farm where it grew for several more years prior to its selection.
In addition to the COVID virus, 2020 dealt Pine Grove Nursery another bad hand.
In July lightning struck a barn on their property starting a fire that destroyed the structure and all of their farm equipment.
Luckily only a few trees were lost due to the efforts of local firefighters.
Now this Christmas season seems to be a turning point with business sky-rocketing as more people select real trees this year.
Davis suggested the pandemic may have led more customers to choosing to shop outdoors for a real tree, but they also seem to want the look and smell of an actual tree.
Or it could be that people are more aware of the impact of artificial trees on the environment especially when older trees are discarded and end up in landfills.
On the other hand, when real trees are done, they can be taken to the woods or streams where they become shelter for animals/fish and add nutrients to the soil.
Another popular option is to purchase live trees complete with their root ball so they can be planted after the holidays.
Trish Kavelak, field manager, echoed the concerns with artificial trees, saying it seems counter intuitive to say killing trees is better for the environment, but it is.
Real trees are a “renewable resource,” Kavelak noted.
Her theory as to why people want real trees now is that families are feeling nostalgic and wanting the comfort of a traditional tree.
A trip to select a Christmas tree can be a fun family outing and bring back memories of happier times. “And right now, we need a season of hope,” Kavelak said.