A Cut Above : Area Christmas tree farms still offer lots of cheer and a family style atmosphere to those who come their way.

Last year, after Thanksgiving, Jill Taylor was lonesome for her hometown of Greenwich, Conn. As stores decorated for the Yuletide, and Christmas tree lots sprang up on every corner, Taylor found herself missing the cold weather and the smell of fresh pine.

“But I just couldn’t quite bring myself to buy a tree outside of Ralphs on a warm afternoon day,” said Taylor, 22, a UCLA junior transfer student living in Sherman Oaks. “It almost seemed sacrilegious.

“But one of my roommates said she knew about a farm in Valencia where we could choose and cut our own. It was a great experience! It lifted my spirits. We’re doing it again this year.”

Although Christmas tree farms, like other segments of the economy, have gone through difficult times in recent years, most are still hanging on, bringing lots of good cheer and a family style atmosphere to those who come their way.

“We really sell the Christmas experience,” said Rich DeRosa, chairman of the Southern Section of the California Christmas Tree Growers Assn., whose territory extends from Santa Barbara to the Mexican border. About 95 tree farms operate within that area.

“A great percentage of our customers who cut their own trees have been doing so for years,” said DeRosa, who owns a farm in Glendora. “Once you try a ‘choose and cut’ farm, you’re hooked.”

About 95% of the tree farms plant the native Monterey pine, a bushy, coastal pine with mid-length to long needles that is perfect for Southern California’s warmer climate. The Eldarica pine, which has longer needles, is used in cooler weather areas.

Most farms are family owned, giving extra service and care to their customers. Trees can be reserved months in advance. Cutting equipment and even lanterns for evening selections are offered. And if the thought of cutting your own tree isn’t appealing, workers will cut and load the tree for no extra charge. Most farms also provide refreshments or candy canes for children. Some also offer fireproofing and flocking.

“And there’s no comparison between a fresh-cut tree and one you pick up outside the market,” Taylor said. “It seems like they last forever.”

Most precut trees travel from Washington or Oregon, said Nancy Roatcap, manager of Windmill Christmas Tree Farm in Valencia. The cut trees are cut before snow season begins, usually the end of October, then repacked in snow to keep them from drying out before being shipped south.

In other words, by the time Christmas arrives, some precut trees can be up to two months old, Roatcap said.

“Tree farms are environmentally sound too,” DeRosa said. “They are a recyclable urban crop, generally grown in what would be wasteland areas underneath power lines. And we use native California trees that are providing an abundance of oxygen.”

But mostly it’s just fun, Taylor said, adding: “It sounds silly, but there’s a real connection, almost a bond, between you and the tree that you finally select to cut.”

Some local Christmas tree farms:

Windmill Christmas Tree Farm, in business since 1978, has 70 acres with more than 100,000 Monterey pines. About 18,000 are ready for harvest. The farm has two entrances in Valencia. The main entrance is at 25249 W. Magic Mountain Parkway and is open from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. daily. The secondary entrance, which offers trees up to 12 feet, is at 25135 Anza Drive and is open from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. daily. Both open today. Call (805) 255-6943.

Don and Marilyn Cameran have owned their two farms--jointly referred to as The Christmas Ranch--for 22 years. The smaller Simi Valley site on about two acres at 3800 Cochran Ave. is open from 9 a.m. to dusk Saturdays and Sundays. The 13-acre Thousand Oaks site at 1586 Pederson Road is open from 2 to 7 p.m. weekdays, and 9 a.m. to 7 p.m. weekends. Both open Dec. 1.

Roger Peckinpaugh has owned Frosty’s Forest Christmas Tree Farm in Newhall for 24 years. The six-acre farm grows about 12,000 Monterey pines, with nearly 6,000 ready for harvest. Trees are as tall as 12 feet. At Dalbey Drive and Orchard Village Road, it is open from 9 a.m. to 8 p.m. daily. Opens Sunday. Call (805) 259-6450.

Holiday Forest Ranch in Moorpark has been owned by the Jim Birkenshaw family for 29 years. About 45 acres of planted Monterey pines are available, some as tall as 12 feet. The ranch, at 4645 Hitch Blvd. off California 118, is open from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. daily, beginning today. Call (805) 523-7313.

The Green and Fresh Christmas Tree Farm in Pasadena, owned for 15 years by Charles Mautz, has about 2,500 Monterey pines available for cutting on seven acres. The trees range from five to 12 feet. The farm, at 3190 E. Del Mar Blvd., is now open 3:30 to 8:30 p.m. Mondays through Fridays and 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturdays and Sundays. Call (818) 792-6725 or (818) 337-5785.

Because of the cooler climate, Ralph LaPreziosa, owner of Harvest Hill Christmas Tree Farm the past 10 years, offers about 1,000 Eldarica pines for harvest at the two-acre site in Lake Hughes. Trees are five to eight feet tall. The farm, at 14021 Elizabeth Lake Road, is open, beginning Saturday, from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Fridays through Mondays. Call (805) 724-1679.

Jim Andrews and his wife, Joann, have been at their Chatsworth site for 10 years. Their one-acre Andrews Tree Farm offers hundreds of Monterey pines at 10955 De Soto Ave., near Rinaldi Street. It opens today, with hours from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays, and 3 to 5 p.m. Mondays through Thursdays. Call (818) 341-9858.

Grand Avenue Tree Farm in Glendora has been owned and operated by Rich DeRosa since 1980. With about three acres of land, 2,000 Monterey pines are available for harvest, with some as tall as 14 feet. The farm is at 1135 S. Grand Ave. It opens Saturday, from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Same hours Sundays, and 2 to 8 p.m. weekdays. Call (818) 914-3999.