AROUND HOME : Holiday Trees

THE TRADITIONAL SCENE of the holiday woodsman going into the woods with an ax and coming back with his own newly felled pine may go so far as to take you back to your roots--or it may just remind you of a Norman Rockwell card. Whichever, it is quite possible to duplicate this experience.

With 70 bristling acres, Windmill Christmas Tree Farm in Valencia is the largest single Christmas tree farm at this end of the state. When surrounded by this many trees and their attendant rabbits, birds, quail and other wildlife, you quickly forget about the nearby industrial area and the overhead powerlines. About 18,000 trees are available; sizes range from 6 to 12 feet, and prices range from about $23 to $32 per tree. Saws and twine are provided, and stands are available at reasonable rates.

Another branch of this family business is located in Santa Paula at the Santa Paula Christmas Tree Farm. Nestled in a rural area, this newer venue has fewer trees for sale--about 5,000--but more of a rustic atmosphere. Table-top Italian stone pine are sold in pots for those who would rather plant a tree after Christmas than have one cut down.

Green Acres Christmas Trees in Sepulveda has about 2,000 trees to cut this season and suggests that customers drop by and reserve their selection early. Use of the saws, the rope and netting for easy take-home are free; so are the candy canes.

Long-needled Monterey pines grow best in the low-altitude areas of Southern California and take four to six years to reach the ideal Christmas-tree height of between 7 and 9 feet. Bill Queen, owner of the Queen Ranch in Somis, is planting about 8,000 of these trees per year on 50 acres and will be selling more than 1,000 of them this year. Bow saws are provided, or ranch personnel will do the deed. Christmas trees are not the ranch’s only crop; visitors would be wise to take home some of the wonderful winter produce (broccoli, carrots, cabbage, turnips, beets, spinach, Swiss chard, lettuce) growing at the foot of the tree-covered hillside. Firewood also is available.