Try Nordmann Fir.

Douglas-fir has disease problems in the eastern US, while Balsam Fir needs cooler summers.

Resin

If either one or the other, Douglas.

Call your county forest extension agent, or the extension forester at the forestry college in Syracuse for locally competent information. You can easily find their websites.If you are interested in Christmas tree culture you also need to know what is being sold in local markets. So keep your search local.

I think the deer like balsam fir - they will do the "pruning" for you.

It seems balsam fir should do okay in central NY. They're a common weed in areas just North and West of where I live, which is roughly the same latitude as central NY. Also consider "Southern" balsam fir, AKA Fraser fir. Cadillac of Christmas trees.

BTW, "weed" is used here in the context of a plant that comes up on its own very abundantly. I like balsam fir ;^)

+oM

If you are looking for one that might tolerate the soil/climate that is less than ideal, look up Canaan Fir. I've grown them here in Ohio and they did fine, i'm thinking only a botanist would differentiate them from balsam (I think i read they may be considered a subspecies of balsam fir.)

I like Doug firs too, but i've lost some to a disease that looks like needlecast? There are different strains of doug firs, some from the pacific northwest and others from the Rocky Mtn - I would think one grown from the mtn seed source would tolerate hot dry summers better. I like the doug firs that are bluish-green rather than straight green. I think doug firs are kindof picky about wanting the well-drained soil.

"Canaan Fir ... I think i read they may be considered a subspecies of balsam fir"

Abies balsamea var. phanerolepis.

This is a list of trees NYS dept conservation is offering.
of 100 or 250. Minimum hgt. 5"

Austrian Pine (Pinus nigra): Two-year seedling. European source. Avg. hgt. 5"-16". $30/100 unit, $40/250 unit Pitch Pine (Pinus rigida): Two-year seedling. Long Island source. Avg. hgt. 5"-10". $30/100 unit, $40/250 unit Red Pine (Pinus resinosa): Three-year seedling. New York source. Avg. hgt. 8"-12". $30/100 unit, $40/250 unit Scotch Pine (Pinus sylvestris): Two-year seedling. New York orchard. Boonville or Danish strain. Avg. hgt. 5"-8". $30/100 unit, $40/250 unit White Pine (Pinus strobus): Three-year seedling. New York source. Avg. hgt. 5"-12". $30/100 unit, $40/250 unit Norway Spruce (Picea abies): Three-year seedling. New York source. Avg. hgt. 8"-14". $30/100 unit, $45/250 unit White Spruce (Picea glauca): Three-year seedling. New York source. Avg. hgt. 8"-14". $30/100 unit, $45/250 unit Douglas Fir (Pseudotsuga menziesii): Three-year seedling. Lincoln source. Avg. hgt. 5"-10". $30/100 unit, $50/250 unit Balsam Fir (Abies balsamea): Three-year seedling. New York orchard. Avg. hgt. 6"-10". $35/100 unit, $65/250. European Larch (Larix decidua): Two-year seedling. New York orchard. Avg. hgt. 10"-14". $30/100 unit, $45/250 unit Japanese Larch (Larix kaempferi): Two-year seedling. New York orchard. Avg. hgt. 10"-14". $30/100 unit, $45/250. Would any of these other trees meet xmas tree standards?

I haven't lived in central NY for many years, but the most popular Christmas trees used to be sheared Scots pine, Douglas-fir, and balsam fir. Definitely not spruce as they quickly shed their needles and are too prickly. Rarely arborvitae. Check with your county agent, really!

I'm guessing these firs are as shallow rooted as the spruces. If they are and you plant some, try and plant them in a wind protected area.

In high winds around here spruces that are exposed to the wind are usually blown over; the root system pulls right out of the ground.

Hey fellow Central-New-Yorker,
Both of these species do well in this area and are in fact some of the more commonly grown Christmas tree species. My family has a farm between Skaneateles and Elbridge that we just planted with Balsam Fir seedlings we got from Cayuga County. Onondaga County offers seedlings as well. I don't think you can go wrong with either species in this area, they are both happy in terms of climate. The soils in this area are mostly limestone-based (sweet, as you say) so just make sure you dont plant them in spots that are too dry and rocky. Our trees are in a lowland and ravine where the soils are mostly glacial till and silt, and range from neutral to slightly acid. The more limey the soil, the less happy these two trees will be. I think they will be OK with some alkalinity as long as its not an extreme, as some of the Christmas tree farms (in Otisco for example) are perched atop limestone.

Happy growing!

Thanks all for the information and time. I think I,m going with the balsam- just hope the deer don't eat them up. I will try some deterents.