This article is by Lou Varricchio, editor of The Sun. It is republished here with permission.

Werner Tree Farm, located on Painter Road in Middlebury, is one of five tree farms that participated in the national Trees for Troops program last year.

Now the Middlebury farm has been listed as the best tree farm in Vermont by House Beautiful magazine.

Joining Werner Tree Farm in their respective states, House Beautiful also listed other notable Trees for Troops operations as well.

Hensler Nursery of Hamlet, Indiana; Piper Mountain Christmas Trees of Newburgh Village, Maine; Pinestead Christmas Trees, Isanti, Minnesota; and Bell’s Christmas Trees of Accord, New York.

According to the Christmas SPIRIT Foundation, Trees for Troops delivers free, farm-grown Christmas trees to U.S. armed forces members. Recipients of the trees come from all branches of the military. The trees are made available through generous, often anonymous donations, private and business sponsorships, non-profit grants, and volunteers.

The Christmas SPIRIT Foundation states that 262,265 free, farm-grown Christmas Trees have been provided to troops and military families, at more than 70 military bases here at home and overseas, via Trees for Troops since 2005.

Thousands of trees are donated by American farm families, like the Werners, while FedEx delivers the trees every year.