Folks want to read merry stories at holiday time, but I must offer a very sad tale. This is the last year of operation for Maple Lane Tree Farm near Lake Stevens.
I didn’t understand what a loss that would be until I laid eyes on the parklike spread filled with the most gorgeous trees any home, bank or church could desire.
It didn’t feel like strolling through a muddy forested Christmas tree farm in the boonies, it was like walking through a country park with freshly mowed grass all around.
Those who will be the saddest are charities that have benefited from the tree sales for the past 20 years. In fact, every dime went to charities such as the Everett Gospel Mission and food bank. Owner Jack Sahlbom explained his giving by noting that we’re not on the planet to squirrel away money.
We’re not?
What a magnanimous man. Raised just down the road on a small ranch, Sahlbom, 79, is a Lake Stevens boy through and through.
He played football at Lake Stevens High School, and said his identical twin, Jim, was an equally fast track runner. They got plenty of road time while running 41/2 miles to school and back. They used their foot speed in the Marine Corps, starting together as messengers at the transit center at Camp Elliott in California. Jack Sahlbom saw action in the Korean War.
Now, his legs are going and it’s time to give up the tree farm, he said.
Now settled on 10 acres his father bought in 1938, Sahlbom enjoyed working his place and keeping it looking like a park.
He began Maple Lane Tree Farm to make money for charity. He sells each tree for the same price, $3 per foot, and none costs more than $30.
A church can pull up the driveway and get a free tree.
“There’s no question about that,” Sahlbom said. “God’s the one who grows them.”
Older readers may recall my family used to enjoy buying $5 trees at Chubby and Tubby in Seattle. My kids were horrified, as their friends went to tree farms in warm mittens, drank hot chocolate and scoured hillsides for just the right fir.
The O’Harrans went cheap and handy.
Regulars at Maple Lane visit in November to march up and down military-straight rows of Shasta and Norman firs and tag just the right model for the living room.
There’s no need to do your own slicing.
“I cut every tree myself,” Sahlbom said. “They don’t have to get down in the dirt. My customers are special people. I tried to remember every name. That shocked them.”
When you go back to pick up your greenery, it’s baled and ready to roll. All you have to do is tie it on top of the car. Or make a donation to Lake Stevens High School senior class elves, who will tie it down to benefit their post-graduation party.
(The tree farm, at 11808 56th St. NE, is hard to find. Call Sahlbom at 425-334-6520 for directions.)
One of Sahlbom’s last customers will be the Carla Parks family from Everett. They heard about Maple Lane Tree Farm several years ago from friends. That was how most folks heard about the place, by word of mouth.
Carla Parks said her family enjoyed going out early to tag their favorite tree. This year, they selected a noble fir.
“We found out that he donates so much to the community,” Parks said. “We said, ‘Oh this is wonderful.’”
She said her family enjoyed hot chocolate, her children got a ride behind Sahlbom’s tractor, and they visited with the owner and his wife, Roxie, who ran the cash register.
“They are very nice,” Parks said. “It’s very personable, homey.”
The tree farm was closed on Veterans Day. Sahlbom was busy with other veterans raising money for the Lake Stevens American Legion Post No. 181.
He is a life member of Order of the Purple Heart and Disabled Veterans of America. The Eagle Scout also is a member of the Damascus Masonic Lodge No. 199 F&AM Granite Falls, Eastern Star, and the Lake Stevens Lions Club, and is an honorary member of the Lake Stevens Kiwanis Club.
The busy man said he is just an ordinary person who has been blessed on this planet. He said next year, with no tree farm business, he’ll be sadder than his customers.
I don’t know about that.
Columnist Kristi O’Harran: 425-339-3451 or oharran@ heraldnet.com.
Jack Sahlbom has run Maple Lane Tree Farm near Lake Stevens for the past 20 years, all to support various charities.
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