About
The Christmas Ranch Tree Farms Experience
Enjoy a visit to our farm in Thousand Oaks, one of the last places in Southern California where you can cut your own Christmas trees!
Cut down a tree together or make a quick trip for a precut tree. Take a walk with the family through our fields, there's something for all. With no cover charge to visit during our season hours. We're also dog friendly so dress up your pup for a visit!
We are a year round tree farm with roots set in the community for 50 years. What that means is we live and breathe for this.
Thank you to all of our Christmas Ranch families and friends who call this place your home for trees each year!
Our Mission
The highest priority for us is to provide our customers with fresh beautiful Christmas trees.
About Us
Don & Marilyn Cameron
Founders
1971-2015 (retired)
Jeffery Ruggieri
Owner
2016-current
Christmas Ranch Tree Farms was started in 1971 by Don and Marilyn Cameron on two acres of land in Simi Valley. A ten acre parcel was added in Thousand Oaks in 1972 and has now been expanded to about 15 acres. Many years of hard work and love have been put into the business.
In 2016, after years of working under the Cameron's, Jeff became the new owner and has continued the tradition. According to him, nothing has been easy during these first six years of ownership. From all time record heat waves to record low rainfall the conditions have never been tougher. Thankfully the knowledge and dedication passed on by Don and Marilyn has allowed him to keep the farm growing.
Another huge role model was former farm manager and Air Force veteran Don Asmus, who worked for so many years under the Cameron's and taught Jeff so much about the farm.
"Don Asmus was the 70 year old who worked like a 20 year old. And in all those years of working together I can't remember ever hearing him complain about anything.
I had no idea how many of the lessons they taught me would end up meaning so much to my career. Every task I worked on was a lesson for the future." ~Jeff Pine Tree
Christmas tree farming is a year-round job. After cleaning up from the season we start planting the fields and will continue nursing the seedlings until they are healthy full-grown trees. Seedlings are grown from seed and also imported from local nurseries.
When the seedlings are 8-12 inches tall (about 9 months) they are ready to plant in the field and will require continuous attention and monitoring. After planting, the seedlings require watering (we use a drip irrigation system), mulch, covering, light fertilizing, shearing, and leader control every two months, side-shearing two to three times a year, and careful year-round health monitoring... all to get that perfect Christmas tree!
And so the story continues...
Recent Posts
We are a full-service tree farm that offers a large selection of Choose & Cut Monterey Pines, Aleppo Pines, and Leyland Cypress in all sizes, plus a nice selection of precut Noble Fir, Fraser Fir, and Nordman Firs — fifteen different species available, all offered at reasonable prices.
Our fresh-cut trees are all stored and displayed in water with shade protection. Selecting and decorating a fresh Christmas tree is a family activity that all can share.
Buy a fresh tree on a family outing to our farm and enjoy it throughout the holiday season until New Year’s Day. Your tree will continue to give joy and pleasure well after all the Christmas gifts are opened.