A Family Rooted in Trees, Tradition, and Three Generations

When Paul Richardson talks about trees, he does it the way some people talk about family—warmly, proudly, and with a lifetime of stories tucked into the spaces between sentences. That makes sense. For Paul, family and forestry have always grown together.

Pineneedle Farms is  officially a third-generation enterprise—a legacy that began in 1958. Back then, Paul’s father ran W. Richardson Farms, one of the largest Christmas tree growing operations in the region, planting roughly 60,000 trees a year. Paul grew up surrounded by seedlings, soil, and the annual rhythm of the land—though he had no idea at the time what this early education would eventually grow into.

When Paul’s father passed away in 2001,  he and his wife, Tracy eventually acquired the property, which soon became Pineneedle Farms Inc.

A Basement, Seedling Favours, and the Birth of Pineneedle Farms

In the early days, the business was modest and hands-on. Paul and Tracy packaged seedling wedding favours on the basement floor for extra income. The work was simple but meaningful, and as demand grew, so did the farm.

Today, the seedling favours live on—only now they’re handled by a team of talented young women who work with the Richardsons and, in one case, are soon to officially become part of the family. “They do a fantastic job,” Paul says. “Better than we ever did.”

Travel, Training, and Tracy’s Patience

Paul’s journey as a grower has taken him far beyond the boundaries of the farm. He laughs at how much he used to travel—flying to Oregon for two- or three-day meetings on seedling techniques, heading to China for two weeks to teach growers there how to produce trees. Every new idea, every new method, he brought back home.

“Thank God for Tracy,” he says. “She was patient. I was gone a lot. But everything I learned helped us build the business.”

Three Sons, Three Generations, and a Greenhouse as Tall as Ambition

About three years ago, Paul asked his three sons a pivotal question: “Are you in or out on the business?”

Their answer was unanimous: We’re in.

With that commitment, the family built a massive high-roof greenhouse—so tall that visitors always ask why. Paul loves explaining it: “We built it high to collect the heat in the summer. Costs a bit more to heat, but it gives us an advantage for the species we grow.”

Inside that greenhouse, two of Paul’s sons manage tens of thousands of seedlings—including two-year-old Freeman maples already pushing two metres tall. His oldest, Lucas, focuses on caliper trees for the landscaping market. Between their greenhouses and field operations, the family now produces about 45,000 potted trees a year, along with a wide variety of native maples, evergreens, shrubs, and Carolinian species.

Innovation Rooted in Waste Reduction

One of Paul’s most creative ideas came from noticing how many seedlings were discarded simply for not meeting Canadian standard specifications. Straight, healthy trees—but slightly off in grading.

“About 20% were being tossed,” he says. “That just didn’t sit right with me.”

Then he discovered small biodegradable cocoa pots. Instead of wasting near-perfect seedlings, Pineneedle now transplants them into these pots—reducing waste from 20% to closer to 5%.

Quebec alone planted 30,000 of these potted seedlings across the province. “They’re bigger than a plug, smaller than bare root, and they get great survival,” Paul says proudly.

The Story Beneath the Soil

Pineneedle Farm is more than a business. It’s a living timeline: a farm founded by a father, rebuilt by a son, and now carried forward by three of his sons.   It’s a place where innovation grows beside tradition, where wasted seedlings find new life, and where family remains the strongest root system of all.

Paul Richardson never set out to build a legacy. He just wanted to grow good trees. “To be able to work in an industry you love is rare and special”, Paul said.

In process, he grew something bigger—
a family business that’s as resilient, adaptable, and enduring as the forests it helps create.

Watch this video to learn more about Pineneedle Farms: