Where Memories Grow on Trees
By Brittany Arnold
I grew up in the suburbs surrounding Portland, OR. Christmas was always packed with many holiday traditions — including getting that fat, green Noble fir that would shine in my parents’ living room for more than a month.
Once I started dating, my father was eager to hand down the hand saw that every year, with some sweat and sap, knocked down the annual u-cut from some small, local tree farm. Having all girls, my father was desperate for us to find someone to take over such burly tasks. He also decided this was the ultimate test of whether this boyfriend could properly care for his daughter.
The first couple of boyfriends didn’t prove successful. They rarely were even dressed to get dirty. My father would give some instruction, hand over his pair of gloves and that flimsy hand saw and hold a tight smirk as he waited to see what would happen. I almost always turned my attention away, embarrassed I couldn’t find a man that could succeed at my dad’s one requirement of a future husband.
For years after, and a few different boyfriends, no one succeeded, and my dad would remain the only true man in my life — which he fully enjoyed.
That is until 2009. That year for Christmas, my family joined me and my new guy in Roseburg for an unforgettable tree-getting experience. We headed out into the gorgeous Umpqua National Forest, took hours deciding what tree was best, drank hot cocoa, and my father finally didn’t have to do any of the work. That was the year I married a logger. Needless to say, he passed the test.
It's also needless to say that Douglas County knows how to do Christmas trees. Surrounded by lush forests and family farms, and with no shortage of people who know their way around a saw or an ax, like my husband, this is where lifelong holiday traditions, like ours, begin.
WHERE THE TREES ARE
Most of the farms and lots below open around Thanksgiving. Call or check their Facebook pages for more information.
OAKLAND TREE FARM: 106 Green Valley Rd., Oakland. More information at 541-459-1488 or Facebook @OaklandTreeFarm.
UMPQUA FAMILY TREE FARM: Open daily in the parking lot of Sherm’s Thunderbird Market on Northwest Stewart Parkway in Roseburg. More information at 541-632-2805 or Facebook @umpquafamilytreefarm.
GROTH’S TREE FARM: Grand, Douglas, and Nordmann fir trees as well as Scotch Pines. 529 Wild River Dr., Roseburg. More information at 541-740-1831 or Facebook @grothstreefarm.
4-H CHRISTMAS TREE LOT: Near Dutch Bros. on Northwest Stewart Parkway in Roseburg. More information at @4HDouglasCounty or 541-672-4461.
GEORGE’S U-CUT CHRISTMAS TREE FARM:
Douglas and Grand Fir trees. 1076 Starveout Creek Road, Azalea. More information 541-476-7999 or at www.jfpchristmastrees.com/oregon-tree-farm.
COWBOY TREE YARD AND GARDEN CENTER: 592 N.E. Chestnut Ave. Roseburg. 541-672-0906.
ROBERTS CHRISTMAS TREE FARM: 639 Cattle Drive, Roseburg. 541-430-1990.
PORTER CREEK MERCANTILE: Located at 6721 OR-42 in Tenmile. Check the Facebook page @portercreekmercantile for details and hours.
FOREST PERMITS: Christmas tree permits for the Umpqua National Forest will be available through www.recreation.gov or available to purchase at Sportsman’s Warehouse in Roseburg, Idleyld Trading Post, Diamond Lake Resort, Dry Creek Store, Myrtle Creek City Hall, Canyon Market in Canyonville, Glide Store, Get & Go Grocery in Cottage Grove and Java Run locations in Roseburg and Green.
Additional locations will be updated on: fs.usda.gov/umpqua. As of October 2020, the Umpqua National Forest does not plan to sell any permits in office. Due to continual and rapid changes with regulations, please check the Facebook page @UmpquaNationalForest or fs.usda.gov/umpqua for up-to-date information.
For additional questions, call 541-957-3200 or 541-496-3532.
As part of the Every Kid Outdoors program, fourth-graders will receive one free Christmas tree permit. These passes will be given out through their local school or they can be found at everykidoutdoors.gov.
