Maine Christmas Tree Farms: Ultimate Cut-Your-Own Guide [2022]
More trees are harvested from Maine Christmas tree farms than in any other state in New England. About 200,000 Christmas trees are harvested in Maine every holiday season. So if you want to cut your own Christmas tree Maine is the place to go!
There is nothing more Christmas-y than cutting your own tree. Out there in the crisp air, a little bit of snow on the ground. Sap on your hands. Following that up with hot chocolate in a cinnamon-scented gift shop . . .
It’s the ultimate Maine Christmas tree experience.
Here is a list of all the best Christmas tree farms in Maine where you can cut your own tree, or choose and cut, as most of the Christmas tree farms here call it. We’ve also included some brief “also offers” so you can maximize your experience.
There are so many places to cut your own Christmas tree in Maine, and we tried to get as many as we could on this list.
Along with this, we’ve included information about what types of trees make the best Christmas trees and how to care for your tree now that you’ve brought it home.
Maine Christmas Tree Farms Where You Can Cut Your Own Tree
The vast majority of farms are in Central and Southern Maine. Many of the farms in the northern part of the state are wholesalers or offer pre-cut trees. Even so, there’s sure to be a cut-your-own tree Christmas tree farm near you.
🎄 Cut Your Own Christmas Tree Southern Maine 🎄
➡️ Archambeault Tree Farm, North Berwick
They suggest you be ready for rough and/or wet ground in their fields when coming to cut your own Christmas tree. Wear hiking shoes or boots and be careful walking.
They provide saws and tree carts to make it easier to get your tree to your car–though there is something great about dragging a freshly cut tree across new snow!
They net all the trees for easy, safe handling. Dogs are permitted on a leash in their fields. Interestingly, they note that cats, goats, chickens, and rabbits are welcome in and around their buildings.
➡️ Balsam Field Tree Farm, Standish
Balsam Field Tree Farm offers choose and cut Christmas trees. They are located near Sebago Lake.
➡️ Beech Ridge Farm, Scarborough
Beech Ridge Christmas Tree Farm’s goal is to provide a wholesome family, cut-your-own tree experience. They are close to the Maine Mall, the Maine Turnpike, and Route 295. Like most Maine Christmas tree farms, they close once they’ve met their harvest quota, so call ahead!
➡️ Boiling Spring Tree Farm, Dayton
Boiling Spring Christmas Tree Farm offers cut-your-own trees.
Also offer: wreaths and retail products
➡️ Bond Mountain Acres, West Newfield
They offer cut-your-own trees, but you will have to call for information on their days and hours. Phone:207-793-4658
Also offers: Free coffee, cider, and goodie bags for kids
➡️ Bragdon Tree Farm, Wells
They are a family-owned and operated choose and cut Christmas tree farm. All trees are $65. Balsam and Canaan trees are available. They will help you load your tree into your vehicle for free.
They’ll also provide free netting for your tree, and candy canes for the children.
➡️ Cheechako Farm, Buxton
Opening the day after Thanksgiving, they offer choose and cut your own Christmas Tree. They are open at 10 am on weekends and are open until dusk. They ask that you please ensure you have sufficient time to choose and cut your tree.
They have a wide selection of Frasers and balsams, which are lovely to choose from. Saws are provided, but they recommend bringing your own just in case there is a wait. All size trees are $60 and can be paid for with cash only.
➡️ Holmes Tree Farm, Kennebunk
Holmes Christmas Tree Farm is the perfect place to pick out your Christmas tree! It is a 25-acre farm in Kennebunk that offers a complete Christmas experience. They are a family-owned and operated operation with mainly Balsam Fir trees.
In addition to cut-your-own-Christmas trees, they also offer ready-cut trees. You’ll be able to explore the farm, then head for the country gift shop for a variety of Maine-made gifts and products.
Also offer: wreaths, garland, free mulled cider straight off the wood stove, cider donuts, a burger/hotdog stand, and Santa in his shack on the weekends!
➡️ The Old Farm Christmas Tree Place In Maine, Cape Elizabeth
The Old Farm Christmas Place of Maine is a Cape Elizabeth Christmas tree farm that provides seven years of TLC to each tree before it is ready for you and your family to enjoy! When selecting your cut-your-own-tree, you can choose from thousands of hand-pruned trees that are grown on the farm.
They offer custom wreaths and other with other Christmas decorations in their charming post-and-beam retail shop. Everything at the Old Farm Christmas Place is designed to give you a one-of-a-kind Christmas experience.
Also offer: (On the weekends) wagon rides, hot cocoa or cider, and a campfire.
➡️ Tuckaway Tree Farm, Lebanon
At this Maine Christmas tree farm just over the NH border, you can harvest your own Balsam Christmas trees and create lifetime memories for your family.
The cut-your-own Christmas trees have been growing for about 6-7 years before they reach the stage where they can be harvested.
You can expect to find trees that are about six to ten feet tall. They will provide the tools to cut down your own tree or they can assist you. They also sell pre-cut trees if you prefer that.
Due to limited numbers, they often close early in the season, so be sure to check their opening date.
🎄 Cut Your Own Christmas Tree In Central Maine 🎄
➡️ Balsam Field Farm, Hope
Balsam Hill Farm adheres to a natural growing method that bans the use of pesticides. They offer a limited number of fresh pre-cut and choose-and-cut trees (~500). They’ll have a variety of sizes from little tabletop trees to ten-foot tall massive trees.
They also cut “wild-grown” balsam fir trees for customers who wish for a tree without any shaping, that literally looks like it was just cut down from deep in the woods. They provide cutting saws, load assistance, and twine available for you to secure your tree.
➡️ Balsam Ridge Christmas Tree Farm, Raymond
Balsam Ridge is a cut-your-own Christmas farm that participates in the Trees for Troops campaign. Working together, participating Christmas tree growers and FedEx, through Trees for Troops, provides Christmas trees to military personnel and their families.
Join them at their farm to pick out the perfect Christmas tree. You and your family may browse the farm as long as you want in order to make the perfect choice!
They will provide you with a saw and a cart so that you may easily bring in your tree from the fields. All trees in the fields are $58.00 and may be of any size.
Also offer: wreaths, maple products
➡️ Burgess Tree Farm, Newport
Family, friends, community, woodstoves, and mulled cider. Burgess Tree Farm has celebrated the holidays in Newport since 1976. First a dairy farm and now a Christmas Tree and produce farm, they are open daily during the holiday season.
They offer cut-your-own Christmas trees as well as precut trees of Maine balsam fir.
Also offer: wreaths
➡️ Carpenter Christmas Tree Farm, Stillwater
They are a small family-owned Maine Christmas tree farm that offers cut-your-own trees.
Also offer: wreaths and retail products
INTERESTING FACT
In Maine, people go ‘tipping’ (or tippin’, as you’ll most likely hear it pronounced) to make extra money during the holidays. Tipping is when you go out into the woods and tip, or take nice lengths of outer branches off, selling the greens to wreath makers. There’s a surprising amount of money in tipping, but you have to be licensed to do it, or else. However, as this NYT article points out, there’s quite the black market in tipping!
➡️ Christmas Tree Bazaar, Nobleboro
The balsam fir Christmas tree market offers a wide range of balsam fir Christmas trees at reasonable prices. They have thousands of trees to choose from, so you can cut your own Christmas tree and know it is fresh.
They also offer pre-cut trees at the farm.
Also offer: wreaths, garlands, and greens
➡️ Christmas Tree Ranch, Amherst
Open beginning the day after Thanksgiving, wander through their fields until you find the perfect cut-your-own Christmas tree. Short on time? You can pick your beautifully shaped tree at their roadside stand.
Also offer: wreaths
➡️ Clapp’s Tree Farm, Blue Hill
They offer cut-your-own tree, and open just after Thanksgiving. The trees go fast, so keep an eye on their Facebook page, especially if you want a taller tree.
➡️ Finest Kind Tree Farm, Dover-Foxcroft
Finest Kind Tree Farm offers a wide variety of beautiful Christmas trees to choose from. You can pick from a selection of gorgeous trees daily during the week or cut your own tree with their Choose and Cut your own service (only available on Saturdays and Sundays).
The gift shop usually opens in mid-late November and offers handcrafted garlands, centerpieces, swags, and wreaths of all sizes.
In addition, they offer handmade ornaments, dried flower wreaths, dried flowers, and decorations that are all handmade on the farm. They’re open seven days a week, from 8 am to 5 pm.
Also offer: Gift shop, farm tours
➡️ Ledge Hill Farm, Readfield
Ledge Hill Farm is a family-owned choose-and-cut Christmas tree farm that specializes in balsams and Frasers. While selecting your Christmas tree, you’ll also take in breathtaking views of Mt. Washington and the Western Maine mountains.
➡️ Longmeadow Christmas Tree Farm, Hebron
They are a family-run Choose and Cut Christmas tree farm. All their trees are one price, which means you can focus on finding the perfect tree without wondering how much it will cost.
They are only open on weekends, from 9 am to dusk, starting around Thanksgiving. To responsibly harvest, they close once they’ve sold the year’s quota.
➡️ Moose Hill Farm, Fayette
Cut your own Christmas tree on their family-owned farm and experience a Maine tradition. They also offer freshly cut trees so you can select the perfect tree, knowing that it is as fresh as they come! Along with trees, you’ll find a variety of hand-crafted balsam wreaths.
Check out their About page for a really interesting read about the history of the farm. Visit their gift shop for handmade ornaments and Christmas decorations.
Also offer: Gift shop
➡️ Nutkin Knoll Farm, Newburgh
A small family farm each year, Nutkin Knoll Farm looks forward to the ‘chopping’ season and seeing Choose and Cut customers at the farm in Newburgh. They also offer freshly harvested trees on display for your choosing.
Uniquely, they can also box and ship a tree to you wherever you are in the country, so no matter where you are, if you want an authentic Maine Christmas tree, you can have one!
There is also a wreath room at the farm with displays of evergreen and dried flower creations that showcase nature’s finest holiday scents and appearances.
Also offer: warm apple cider, fresh wreaths
➡️ Piper Mountain Christmas Tree Farm
Come see why Piper Mountain was listed in the 50 Best Christmas Tree Farms in America in 2020 and 2021.
Located on 185 acres of rolling hills in Newburgh, Maine, they’ve been offering incredible holiday experiences for 40 years (my favorite place to get a tree when my son was little!).
Whether you’re new to Piper Mountain or have been going there for generations, you’ll create wonderful memories. They practically guarantee that you’ll have a wonderful holiday season! Stroll the fields to find THE tree and savor the amazing scent of Christmas trees.
Afterward, saunter down to the barn to warm up and browse their wreaths and ornaments. They also offer pre-cut trees so you can get the ‘Christmas tree farm in Maine’ experience without having to do the actual cutting.
Also offer: wreaths, apple cider donuts, Wildlife coffee
➡️ Pleasant View Tree Farm, Searsmont
A family-run business, they offer both Choose and Cut and precut trees.
➡️ Staples Tree Farm, Windham
They offer Balsam and Fraser Fir trees, opening at the end of November. They offer cut your own trees.
➡️ Trees to Please, Norridgewock
Trees To Please is a Christmas tree farm, growing and selling Maine native evergreens, fall mums, and live trees for the holiday season. They offer Choose & Cut as well as precut Christmas trees. They open at the end of November each year. Check their site for details.
Also offer: wreaths, kissing balls, decorations
🎄 Cut Your Own Christmas Tree In Northern Maine 🎄
➡️ Hale Tree Farm, Stockholm
They offer choose and cut Christmas trees, and will help you bale your tree so you can safely transport it back to your home.
What Are The Different Types Of Christmas Trees In Maine?
Balsam Fir
These trees are native to Maine and are the traditional Christmas tree. They are usually highly fragrant, so you really get that amazing Christmas tree scent in your home! Their needles are softer than other varieties of trees and are of medium length.
It naturally has a Christmas tree shape, even without pruning and shaping.
Fraser Fir
Fraser’s have a more slender profile than Balsams, so they are great for smaller spaces. Their needles are dark green-bluish color on the top and a silvery white color underneath. They also have fairly stiff branches so you can hang heavier ornaments even on the edges.
It also has really nice needle retention and a shorter needle length.
Balsam/Fraser Mix
Obviously (!), this tree is a hybrid of both trees, and it combines the best qualities of both. It has that amazing Balsam Fir scent and traditional Christmas tree shape, but also has sturdy branches and great needle retention.
How To Care For Your Christmas Tree
➡️ Using miniature or LED lights will slow the drying rate of your tree.
➡️ Cut a couple of inches off the base of the tree (if it’s a precut tree) in order to provide better water uptake.
➡️ Try to get your tree into water within 6-8 hours of cutting it.
➡️ Use a sturdy base that holds about 1 quart of water for each inch of diameter of the base of the tree.
➡️ If your tree doesn’t fit in your stand, purchase a new stand. It’s very damaging to the tree to shave down the outer layers. Your tree will dry out much faster.
➡️ Check the water level daily to make sure the water is above the base of the tree.
➡️ A lower room temperature will keep your tree fresher longer.
Christmas Tree Safety Tips
It might seem strange to have safety tips for Christmas trees, but there are accidents every year with Christmas trees in people’s homes. According to the National Fire Research Laboratory, there are about 200 house fires caused by Christmas trees each year.
Did you know: About half of the weight of a fresh Christmas tree is water!
➡️ Do not cut the base of your tree into a V shape because you think it will get more water and last longer that way. It won’t. It will only make it more unstable in the base.
➡️ Always inspect your lights, and never use anything that is frayed or extremely worn. Avoid broken bulbs on the light strings.
➡️ Always turn off the lights when leaving the house or going to bed.
➡️ It should go without saying, but do not place your tree close to sources of heat!
➡️ Once your tree is dry and it’s losing its needles, remove it from your home.
➡️ Don’t burn your Christmas tree in your fireplace or woodstove. It can lead to chimney fires and even toxic off-gassing.
Christmas Tree Disposal
Most cities and towns now provide pickup services for Christmas trees. The trees are then dried and used for mulch on hiking trails and other areas that won’t be affected by the less-than-beautiful mulch created from Christmas trees.
Please remove all the decorations, including the tinsel, before you put your tree out for collection.
Conclusion:
Maine Christmas Tree Farms:
The Ultimate Cut Your Own Experience [2022]
There’s nothing more magical than heading out to a Maine Christmas tree farm on a beautiful winter’s day to cut down your own tree. You can pick your own Christmas tree, have hot chocolate or cider, and maybe even get a sleigh ride!
Many of the Christmas tree farms in Maine can make your day into an entire experience. It can be hard to choose where to go, but ultimately, the pick your own Christmas tree farm that is convenient for you is really the best tree farm!
Many farms offer cider and coffee (probably right from a Maine roaster!) to enjoy after you’ve spent some time wandering around in the cold selecting your tree. Some places even offer hay rides or visits with Santa!
Most have gift shops where you can purchase fresh wreaths and other Maine delights like maple syrup.
At the end of the day, you’ll have a beautiful Christmas tree in your home to celebrate the season, and an amazing experience you’ll look back on time and time again. For the best Christmas tree farms Maine can’t be beaten (though Canada is pretty good, too!)
Feeling holiday-ey? You might want to visit the Sparkle Celebration in Freeport, the Fire & Ice soiree in Kennebunkport, read about some winter festivals, or look through the awesome things to do in December in Maine.