(BLAIRSTOWN) - New Jersey Secretary of Agriculture Douglas H. Fisher today officially kicked off the choose and cut Christmas tree season during the annual ceremonial cutting of a Christmas tree, held this year at Glenview Farm in Warren County.

Governor Murphy signed a proclamation to announce Jersey Grown Christmas Tree Day, encouraging New Jersey residents to support the state’s farmers and visit choose and cut Christmas tree farms.

“Christmas tree growers in New Jersey provide an excellent variety of beautiful trees that fit the needs of any home or business during the holiday season,” Secretary Fisher said.  “Choosing a Christmas tree at one of the hundreds of farms in our state is an annual family tradition that spans generations.”

Glenview Farm’s Blue Spruce was a Reserve Grand Champion winner in the 2019 New Jersey Christmas Tree Growers Association annual tree contest held at the Middlesex County Fair earlier this year. It has been a long-standing tradition that the kick-off of the choose and cut Christmas tree season takes place at a Grand Champion's farm.

Glenview Farm is a second-generation farm currently operated by Dan and Colleen Black. It was started in 1982 when Dan’s parents, George and Helen Black, purchased the land. The first trees were sold in 1988. The farm sells Concolor, Canaan, Frasier and Douglas Firs as well as Norway and Colorado Blue Spruces. Glenview is open each Friday, Saturday and Sunday through December 22, and has staff who can assist with tree selection and cutting. Glenview also has small, medium and large wreaths as well as mailbox huggies and grave blankets available.

"One of the goals of our farm is to create an enjoyable experience for anyone who comes to visit us and pick out a Christmas tree that is perfect for their home or business,” Dan Black said. “The growing and selling of Christmas trees was started by my parents decades ago, and it’s a tradition we hope to continue well into the future. We love seeing families return each year as well as helping new customers have an enjoyable day.”

The tree cutting experience at Glenview can also include Where’s Bear? which is finding and taking a picture of the farm’s friendly Golden Retriever; and having easy access to part of the Appalachian Trail that runs adjacent to the farm, which is located on the Kittitanny Mountain Range.

This year, Glenview Farm will be donating the 7-foot Douglas Fir tree cut by Secretary Fisher to Sam’s Hope, is a non-profit organization serving individuals with developmental disabilities.

More than 80,000 trees are cut in New Jersey each year. The U.S. Census of Agriculture released last spring ranks New Jersey sixth in the nation in the number of Christmas tree growers, with hundreds of farms that grow more than 5,000 acres of Christmas trees in the state.

The New Jersey Christmas Tree Growers’ Association, organized in 1950, is a statewide organization of growers, professionals and industry leaders dedicated to the promotion and marketing of Christmas trees and related products. A listing of farms consumers can visit as well as the types of trees that best fit a need are available at www.njchristmastrees.org.

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