About us:
Updates for 2024:
Not a lot of changes this year, thankfully. The trees are growing taller; so tall infact, we are encouraging customers to top out tall trees. The patch of black hills spruce are about the 6-7 foot range. We encourage people to bring a measuring device (stick, tape, string) to aid them in finding the perfect height. I always tell customers it's like shopping for furniture--it always looks bigger in your house than it did at the store or in this case the woods. We will again have fun shirts in the store for purchase. These are first come first served. We will NOT be ordering more throughout the season. Kaden, Terry, Sandy, Denny, Dave, and I are looking forward to another great season.
UPDATES for 2023:
Lots of changes since last year on the farm. Patti has stepped away from her teacher role in exchange for becoming the new township supervisor for our township. She is also spending more time on her candle company. Aunt Fer and Uncle Ken have moved away to their home up north and will no longer be figures around the farm. Patti and Dave's son, Kaden, has really stepped up in his role at the farm. Due to Patti's shoulder surgery earlier this year she has had to reluctantly give up her planting and tree wrangling duties to Kaden. For him it's like an extra football work out. Terry and Denny are still very important figures at the farm with Shane and his daughter visiting when they can.
The most important change to come this year is that we had to increase our tree prices due to an increase from our nursery wholesaler, fuel, and electricity. Effective this season (2023) all trees will be $40; shaking and wrapping will remain $5. We hope our customers understand our need to increase our price. As always the coffer, cocoa, and candy canes are free. We do accept tips for those services to keep us buying more.
We are also no longer allowing professional photography on the farm. Unfortunately, we will also have to patrol to ensure customers are complying with this. Personal photography is always welcomed but professional sessions with props and such are not. Thank you for understanding.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
-We are the 3rd generation of Coulters. Our grandfather-Leonard Coulter originally bought the farm after coming home from WWII and planted trees as a way to help pay the taxes. We proudly carry on Leonard’s tradition. The owner/operator aka the brains of the place is eldest granddaughter, Patti Lashbrook, who is a school teacher by day and lives off the farm a mere two miles away. She runs the place with the help of her husband Dave, who also works at an equipment and implement sale yard six days a week. The next oldest grandchild is Rachael Graff, who left the farm to live in Lake Orion but the farm never left her heart. She continues to share her passion for the farm with her husband and two step-sons. She is in charge of customer service and is most often greeting you with a saw and directions at the end of the driveway. UPDATE: Rachael had our youngest tree helper (pictures in the Caanans) fall of 2020 and has since stepped back from the tree farm duties. We have all pitched in to fill those giant shoes and even enlisted the aide of our aunt to help out at the counter. The next oldest is Dennis Coulter--he’s the brawn with our younger brother Shane Coulter. Dennis lives on the farm and helps out as much as possible all year round. If you need it done-Denny is the one to ask. Shane Coulter is the baby of the bunch--with a new baby himself and a wonderfully busy career in aerospace welding we don’t get to see as much of Shane as we used to. You can often see Aunt Fer (Jen Lalone) and Uncle Ken out and about as well as Dave's best hunting buddy all lending a hand on any given day. Our newest helper on the farm is Terry Montgomery (Dave’s mom). Last year we moved her into the main farm house so we could have someone watch over the place. She is a feisty lady who does way more than is required to help out on a daily basis from mowing with the tractor to sewing buttons back on our clothes. We would be lost without her. Our youngest helper/recruit is the owner’s son-Kaden Lashbrook; at just ten years old he is often torn between helping and playing but we wouldn’t have it any other way. UPDATE: at 13 years old, Kaden is taking more of a hands on roll this year, and he should as he is taller than his mom, grandma, and aunts. We are honored to have been a part of your family memories over the years and hope to continue that tradition. For us at Coulter’s it’s all about family.
Now a little about what we offer: -We have around 80 acres of trees planted in patches and sometimes growing naturally. They vary in species from Spruce varieties to Fraser firs. These trees range in size from two feet upwards of twenty feet. Upon arrival at the farm, Rachael or Terry will greet you, give you a saw if necessary and point you in the right direction. That’s right--you drive all around. With 180 acres total do not worry any tree you see is fair game. See a tall one? Cut the top out-we don’t mind. We do get upset by only two things on our farm those who do not pick up their trash and those who cut a tree down and decide not to buy it. The last one is a biggie for owner Patti Lashbrook. She loves nature and can even be seen talking to her trees every so often. To cut a tree is to kill it. These trees besides providing a wonderful place to store presents and ornaments are also providing oxygen and natural habitats. So please, please, please make sure the tree you cut is the one you want.
-We do NOT use chemicals of any kind on our trees. It is for that reason we do not carry species of trees that tend to have more pest and disease issues. No chemicals means that we also do not paint our trees to make them have a uniform color. Many trees are painted and pre-cuts are often sprayed with an adhesive to retain needles longer. At Coulter’s we are very simple and honest. That being said not everyone will find their “perfect” tree and hey-that’s okay. We recommend looking deep into the patches to find those beautiful specimens--those harder to get to are often left standing.
-We do not shape our trees. As a child growing up on the farm, Patti can recount tales of numerous cousins gathering together with machetes to trim trees while the crop duster flew overhead spraying the trees. Those are things of the past at Coulter’s. We believe that Mother Nature should be in control of making the trees as perfect as she wants. By not constantly cutting the trees into a pyramidal shape it allows for animals to utilize the trees as homes-building nests and it also allows for better ornament placement within the tree. We have been complemented from several German born citizens who state our trees are a more German style in this way. We think that is perfect because grandpa was in love with Germany when he was stationed there and that was what inspired him to plant pines in the first place.
-We are not totally old-school on the farm. We do have the mechanism to shake loose needles from your tree as well as the mechanism to wrap your tree up for easier transport on your vehicle and into your home. Our shaker and baler are made right here in Michigan by Howey. While our equipment can handle large trees we unfortunately, cannot handle all trees and reserve the right to refuse to shake and bale based on size. Our baler used all natural binding material-NOT plastic so it is biodegradable and environmentally friendly. -We are not a very large operation and are very low-key. Our farm is a drive-on operation and we provide hand saws to those who need one to borrow. There are no wagon rides, stump drilling machines, food for purchase, or a barn of big box store products. It is for this reason combined with a lack of expensive and harmful chemical applications that we can keep our tree prices as low as we do. We are proud to bring a tiny barn of handmade crafts, hand knit gifts, and hand poured wax. At Coulter’s we offer all trees of any size for only $40. The shake and bale combo is an additional $5. We offer FREE coffee, hot chocolate, and candy canes for children of all ages.
We hope to see all of you this year at Coulter’s Tree Farm.
We are open typically from Thanksgiving through Christmas, Monday-Thursday Grandma Terry will be around to assist but CANNOT run the equipment. If you need a shake and a wrap we suggest calling before you come out and we will do our best to mesh our schedules to meet your needs. Check the home page, Facebook, or Google for current hours.
Proudly Michigan