Public Media from Michigan State University

Tree Farm Offers Families Chance To Stay Rooted

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Retired MSU forestry professor Mel Koelling has owned and operated Tannenbaum Farms in Mason since 1976.
Kevin Lavery

Tannenbaum Farms in Mason has been a fixture in mid-Michigan for 40 years. Current State’s Kevin Lavery talks with co-owner Mel Koelling about this year’s tree harvest.

Tree farms are big business in December. While many lots pop up along the roadside this time of year, others are a full-time industry.

One of those farms is just outside of Mason, and Current State’s Kevin Lavery paid its owner a visit to learn more about the business. Tannenbaum Farms was started about 40 years ago by a now retired Michigan State University forestry professor, Dr. Mel Koelling, and his wife Laurie. They farm more than 100 acres and grow several varieties of pine trees that families bring home to display for the holidays.

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Kevin Lavery served as a general assignment reporter and occasional local host for Morning Edition and All Things Considered before retiring in 2023.