Steigerwaldt Tree Farms has been in business since 1957 and our friendly staff has the knowledge and experience to help you find the products and services you desire, as well as accurate retail sales advice.
Steigerwaldt Tree Farms maintains over 300 acres in planted trees and another approximately 2,200 acres of hardwood and pine timber.
In 1957, Ed Steigerwaldt, Sr. began acquiring land and planting trees for the future.
This included Christmas trees, which were initially transplanted from naturally seeded areas in forest situations. He did this because he couldn’t afford to buy many expensive nursery trees. He had four boys to help with this as well as every day tree farm work. This included fertilizing trees by hand, shearing, pruning, and spraying herbicides. Money was very tight and all of us learned to work from an early age.
In the early years, between 1957 and 1970, most of the work was completed by family, but the tree farm was growing. Tree planting now included many nursery-grown trees, including white pine, scotch pine, Colorado blue spruce, black hills spruce, and of course, balsam fir.
Tree shearing was just evolving and Ed Steigerwaldt, Sr. gave many demonstrations on just how to accomplish this. He was a professional forester and an active member and President of the Wisconsin Christmas Tree Growers Association.
I graduated from the University of Michigan with a forestry degree and went to work full-time in the family business. Then, as it is now, it was a forestry consulting and Christmas tree enterprise.
Today, Steigerwaldt Tree Farms includes 2,500 acres of forest and Christmas tree land located in five Wisconsin counties.
Our tree sales are centered on Fraser fir, balsam fir, and white pine. Our foresters manage 350,000 acres of timberland for our clients.
Our “spot” in the business is high-quality trees. We like to develop trees with a medium taper and with fairly tight shearing. We certainly believe in using fertilizer to promote excellent growth and color and take steps to create very nice Christmas trees. This includes picking cones off Fraser fir early in their development. This step is very expensive, but allows trees to put more energy into growth instead of cone development. The result is a denser, higher quality trees.
Our farm managers are professional foresters and ISA Certified Arborists who have decades of experience.
Today, Steigerwaldt Tree Farms is in its third generation with my oldest grandson and granddaughter (4th generation) ready to begin working in the fields this spring. It has been very special to see their interest in this family business, now in its 64th year.
Tree planting this spring will emphasize Fraser fir and balsam fir which, if everything goes well, will develop into saleable Christmas trees nine to ten years from now.
Our 2023 harvest numbers are estimated to be below 2022, and we are continuing to enlarge our tree inventory. This has been extremely challenging because of two consecutive drought years (2022 and 2023) where 70 percent of our planted seedlings have died.
A similar fate has hit most Christmas tree growers in the Midwest. This environmental factor is brought on by climate change which is negatively affecting many agricultural crops.
In 2023 we started a program of watering seedlings from trailered water tanks. We were able to save some, but at a very high expense. Overall, we are optimistic about tree production improving because drought conditions rarely last for more than one or two years.
In spite of bringing fewer trees to market, we will be supplying the high-quality product that our customers expect!
Jon holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Forest Management from the University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point. In addition, Jon holds an Associates degree in Automotive Technology from North Central Technical College.
Jon is responsible for directing, coordinating, and leading Steigerwaldt Tree Farm’s field operations and manages wholesale and retail Christmas tree sales. His duties also include budget management, performance targets, action plan, data analysis, and marketing for Steigerwaldt Tree Farms. Jon works as the tree farm field operations leader and works with other members of the department to develop and maintain client relationships. He supervises farm projects, processes, and scheduling between in-house departments to maintain efficiencies. He is the lead on maintenance of GIS data for Steigerwaldt lands and Christmas tree inventory. Jon also serves as the lead liaison with our Forestry Department, and directs and evaluates equipment needs and maintenance.
jon.andreas@steigerwaldt.com
715.453.3274, ext. 347
Jennifer serves as an Appraisal Specialist/Tree Farm Field Manager at Steigerwaldt Land Services. She is responsible for supporting the appraisal team and Steigerwaldt Tree Farm.
Jennifer holds a Bachelor's Degree in Environmental Science and Environmental Planning with a Geoscience minor from The University of Wisconsin-Green Bay.
Prior to her current position, Jennifer was a department manager at a landscaping company in Madison, Wisconsin, managing multiple crews for the maintenance department.
In her free time, Jennifer enjoys baking, hiking, camping, and traveling.
jennifer.hegnet@steigerwaldt.com
715.453.3274, ext. 337
Ryan is responsible for directing and leading field operations at Steigerwaldt Tree Farms for Christmas tree production. His duties include directing and managing field staff towards specific goals and deadlines, along with maintaining equipment and relations across the department.
Ryan attended the University of Wisconsin – Stevens Point and earned Bachelor of Science degrees in Forest Management and Urban Forestry.
Prior to his current position, Ryan was responsible for safely applying pesticides and pruning techniques to improve urban tree health. He also was a math/science teacher for multiple grades, managing several classrooms throughout a day.
In his free time, Ryan enjoys backpacking and traveling with friends and family.
ryan.simmons@steigerwaldt.com
715.453.3274, ext. 328
Ed is a forester and real estate appraiser with decades of experience. His appraisal experience includes a wide variety of assignments including the appraisal of waterfront, recreation, forest land, residential, commercial, agricultural, and industrial property, as well as easements and individual trees and landscaping. Ed has also completed appraisals for tree damage, utility easement analyzation for effects on property values, and Christmas tree management. He currently directs real estate appraisal projects throughout Wisconsin, Michigan, Minnesota, and other states when requested. Ed has qualified as an expert witness in court proceedings in Wisconsin, Michigan, Minnesota, Oregon, and California. He has given numerous presentations covering real estate and tree appraisal. Ed also has served as a Wisconsin tax assessor and has over fifty years of experience as a Christmas tree grower.
Lee currently oversees and implements strategic direction and performance standards at Steigerwaldt. She is a third-generation consulting forester and business owner with a Bachelor of Science degree earned in 1999 from the University of Wisconsin–Stevens Point in Forest Management, Urban Forestry, and Philosophy. She is a certified general appraiser in Wisconsin, Michigan, and Minnesota, and an ISA certified arborist. Her prior professional experience was as a Production Arborist in Hailey, Idaho, before relocating to Tomahawk to work in the family business.
Lee offers business leadership perspective and experience in a growing and transitioning business and feels the emphasis on cultural expectations and principle values is key to thriving through transitions.
She enjoys working on the Christmas tree farm and at the maple syrup shack, and pursuing steelhead in the Brule River in northern Wisconsin with her husband, Todd. She has two children, a daughter and son. Lee is a ten-time finisher of the Ironman triathlon and is a believer in grit, tenacity, and consistency in business, organizational, and personal achievement.
lee.steigerwaldt@steigerwaldt.com
715.453.3274, ext. 318
