The Western New York Christmas Tree Farmers Association (WNYCTFA) was founded in 2002 by a small group of local tree farmers.  Since our group formation, we have grown to over 25 farms of about currently 60 members and continuously growing every year. Each year members have the opportunity to participate in educational meetings, summer farm tour, Erie County Fair booth, Plantasia Landscape Show booth, and much more. We also participate in the Trees For Troops program during the Christmas season.  Our farms along with thousands of others across the country donate trees to the military and their families during the holiday season. If you are interested in becoming a member of our association, please contact our current president Jerry Saab at (716) 432-3936 or jsaab1731@verizon.net Our Goals: 1.) Promote the real tree. 2.) Educate the public about their purchase of a real tree. 3.) Encourage the purchase of a real tree. 4.) Help the economy through their small business endeavors. 5.) Provide local opportunities for the WNY population to purchase real trees and other evergreen products.

Membership Meetings Our membership growers meetings meet three times a year in January, April, and September.  These meetings are held at local restaurants including the Country Roadhouse Grill in Chaffee and Papa Jakes in Springville.  The purpose of these meetings are for us to share ideas, current trends in the industry, and how we implement these ideas at our farms.  We usually have a guest speaker that shares they’re knowledge and the latest information in the tree industry.  Membership dues are $20 per year.  New members always welcome!

Summer Farm Tour Each summer usually in late June early July, we have a yearly farm tour hosted by one of our group members.  This hands-on educational session is a great learning experience for everyone.  The day includes a tour of the owner’s farm, hands on learning sessions, guest speakers, barbecue, and general membership meeting.  The host farm and the summer farm tour agenda is announced and scheduled at the September or January meetings.

Erie County Fair Every summer during the month of August the tree growers proudly promote the real tree industry at the largest fair in New York State and the 10th largest fair in North America, the Erie County Fair.  At our tent setup we provide the public with brochures from our state and local organizations that give the latest helpful information for tree growing and a list of our individual farms.  We also have a display of trees, wreaths, and live trees from our members as well.  Our booth is located near gate 5 in between the Grange and the Historical Society Buildings.  This year’s fair runs from August 10th - 21st, 2016.

Plantasia Landscape Show In the months of March and April we have a booth at the Plantasia Landscape Show.  The show is located on the Erie County Fairgrounds in the Event Center (Agri-Center) and the Expo Hall.  Our booth is located in the Expo Hall.  At our booth we provide the public with brochures from our state and local organizations that give helpful information for tree growing and a list of our individual farms.  Since this show is a landscape show, we also provide information on landscaping services and landscape trees that most of our members provide.  This year’s landscape show runs from March 31st - April 3rd, 2016.