Tis’ the season to go tree shopping!

The Henley Mayor, Councillor Ian Reissmann, undertook the now 10 year tradition of selecting a Christmas tree for Market Place yesterday at the Tree Barn in Christmas Common.

While Christmas may seem ages away for most, at The Tree Barn, a local family run Christmas tree farm, things are in full swing. Owner Andrew Ingram explained the year round work that goes into maintaining over 50,000 trees, including how each tree over 1m receives special pruning/shearing at least once a year as well as the over 12,000 trees harvested and planted each year. However with the recent hot weather and droughts this has not been an easy task, Andrew said “The trees have been incredibly stressed, mercifully, because we had such a wet winter there’s a lot of moisture down there and the larger trees are able to get their tap roots down and are able to draw moisture from up to 12 feet down.” 

In regard to the impact on biodiversity that comes from running a tree farm, Andrew explained that “Christmas tree plantations are very environmentally friendly, there’s lots of insects and birds all nesting around the trees and when you get rid of them in the end they’re biodegradable, so environmentally Christmas trees tick all boxes!” Most recently The Tree Barn has welcomed nesting barn owls, who enjoy the natural hunting ground the trees provide. 

The Mayor, with help from Andrew, selected a beautiful Nordman fir tree that he is “Looking forward to seeing it in all its splendour in the Market Place.” When reflecting on the experience, he added “The tree is an important part of the town celebration” and “It’s great to be part of this tradition where the Mayor comes along in what feels like the middle of summer to select a tree for Christmas!”

The tree, which is roughly 25 years old, will cost the council around £1500 and will put up in Market Place ready for the Christmas Festival on Friday 27 November 2026 when the lights will be switched on.