Exotic Conifers: the Next Big Thing in Christmas Trees

From: Shannon Mullen
Length: 04:12

Four minute holiday feature story about an exotic Christmas tree farmer and his love of all things conifer. Read the full description.

Piece Audio

Playing: Exotic Conifers: the Next Big Thing in Christmas Trees
From: Shannon Mullen

Grandfir_small [update December 2007 - the info in this story still holds this year] This is the story of exotic Christmas tree farmer Bob Girardin... and the latest trend in Christmas trees. On his farm in Sanbornton, New Hampshire, Bob has one of the country's largest collections of exotic conifers from around the world. He and his wife Joan own and operate the cut-your-own exotic conifer farm, by invitation only. Bob took me on a tour of his farm, and his love for the trees is quite tangible in the piece! (Bob is President of Exotic Conifer Cooperative, which serves the Northeast and Eastern Canada, and he's an exotic conifer consultant to other farms and researchers at educational instutitions around the country. )

Piece Description

[update December 2007 - the info in this story still holds this year] This is the story of exotic Christmas tree farmer Bob Girardin... and the latest trend in Christmas trees. On his farm in Sanbornton, New Hampshire, Bob has one of the country's largest collections of exotic conifers from around the world. He and his wife Joan own and operate the cut-your-own exotic conifer farm, by invitation only. Bob took me on a tour of his farm, and his love for the trees is quite tangible in the piece! (Bob is President of Exotic Conifer Cooperative, which serves the Northeast and Eastern Canada, and he's an exotic conifer consultant to other farms and researchers at educational instutitions around the country. )

Broadcast History

New Hampshire Public Radio (2004)
WFCR Amherst, MA (2004)
WGBH "The World" (2004)

Transcript

THE WORDS "EXOTIC" AND "CHRISTMAS TREE" ARE NOT OFTEN IN THE SAME SENTENCE?

UNLESS YOU'RE EXOTIC CHRISTMAS TREE FARMER BOB GIRARDIN...

GIRARDIN GROWS CONIFERS FROM ALL OVER THE WORLD, JUST UP THE ROAD FROM LAKE WINNISQUAM.

24:51 I have fun out here, this is just with my trees, straight ahead is Korean fir? see the flash of white? see it? Ever seen anything so beautiful in your life? That?s from Korea? over here Vetch fir from Japan, look at that foliage?

GIRARDIN GROWS 13-THOUSAND TREES ON HIS ?WILLOW POND FARM? IN SANBORNTON.

WITH 68 DIFFERENT SPECIES, HE HAS ONE OF THE COUNTRY?S LARGEST COLLECTIONS OF EXOTIC CONIFERS.

BECAUSE ALL OF THE 400 CHRISTMAS TREES READY TO SELL THIS YEAR ARE ALREADY SOLD, HE KNOWS HE'S ONTO SOMETHING...

17:35 I have a niche market? I have something nobody else has. First of all, a lot of people came to this farm because they got a grea...
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