North America Farms
Highland Flats Tree Farm & Distillery
Naples, Idaho, USA
Products Sourced From This Ranch
The start of Highland Flats Tree Farm and Distillery
Located in scenic Naples, Idaho, the Highland Flats Tree Farm and Distillery is home to the beautiful evergreen trees that help Young Living produce many of its coniferous essential oils. This location is not only a blue spruce farm but also home to one of the world’s largest conifer essential oil distilleries. It’s also the location of Young Living’s annual Winter Harvest and Spring Planting projects, which allow members to experience our Seed to Seal® quality commitment firsthand.
Young Living Founder D. Gary Young discovered Idaho Grand Fir essential oil in 1998, which eventually led him to discover the entire collection of conifer essential oils now distilled at Young Living’s Highland Flats farm. He purchased the initial land for the Highland Flats tree farm in 1999. Before that, the land was used as a farm for Christmas trees.
In the beginning, all tree material had to be driven 115 miles south to the St. Maries Lavender Farm and Distillery to be distilled. This continued until the distillery at the Highland Flats tree farm was completed in 2014. The distillery uses cutting-edge distillation techniques and equipment to produce the highest-quality essential oils obtained from aromatic trees grown with regenerative farming techniques. Gary loved sharing the process with Young Living members in an inspirational and enjoyable way through our harvest and planting events.
Young Living Founder D. Gary Young discovered Idaho Grand Fir essential oil in 1998, which eventually led him to discover the entire collection of conifer essential oils now distilled at Young Living’s Highland Flats farm. He purchased the initial land for the Highland Flats tree farm in 1999. Before that, the land was used as a farm for Christmas trees.
In the beginning, all tree material had to be driven 115 miles south to the St. Maries Lavender Farm and Distillery to be distilled. This continued until the distillery at the Highland Flats tree farm was completed in 2014. The distillery uses cutting-edge distillation techniques and equipment to produce the highest-quality essential oils obtained from aromatic trees grown with regenerative farming techniques. Gary loved sharing the process with Young Living members in an inspirational and enjoyable way through our harvest and planting events.
Seed to Seal® quality commitment
At the Highland Flats farm, Young Living uses gas chromatography to analyze every distillation of oil produced. With records dating back to the farm’s first distillation in January of 2014, a full-time lab technician can monitor even the most subtle change in constituents from season to season.
Oil highlights
Idaho Grand Fir essential oil offers a refreshing aroma reminiscent of freshly cut Christmas trees. Grand fir trees are native to the Pacific Northwest of the United States and produce a beautiful coat of fragrant foliage.
Evergreen Essence™ is a unique blend of essential oils from native conifer trees from our Northern Idaho and Northern British Columbia forests.
The farm also grows white fir, an evergreen species native to the mountains of western North America that can grow to an age of 300 years.
Evergreen Essence™ is a unique blend of essential oils from native conifer trees from our Northern Idaho and Northern British Columbia forests.
The farm also grows white fir, an evergreen species native to the mountains of western North America that can grow to an age of 300 years.
Our focus on conservation
Reusing resources. The farm partners with local logging operations to reuse their by-products to distill essential oils. In logging, the by-products are typically burned, so the farm is not only reducing waste, but it is also reducing emissions. This material is also added to the farm’s fields after distillation to enrich the soil and sequester carbon.
Practicing regenerative farming. The farm practices no-till, regenerative farming in an effort to cultivate the highest-quality conifer trees possible and protect the planet. The farm crew uses all leftover plant material from distillation to mulch the fields and improve the soil.
Protecting native pollinators: Since 2019, the Highland Flats farm has had the second-largest and most established waystation of all the farms, with 12,000 square feet that provide shelter and food to butterflies and pollinators alike. Here, we have planted over 2,100 plants of over 40 different native plant species.
The garden primarily consists of colorful flowering perennials that bloom from early May to late October, providing a diverse group of pollinators with nectar. There are three different species of milkweed specifically planted for the monarch migration and reproductive cycle.
Conserving wildlife habitats. The farm committed over 220 acres of land to the McArthur Lake Wildlife Corridor Conservation Easement. This easement is part of a federal conservation program that designates land as environmentally important and protects it from non-forest land uses and commercial development. The conservation values of the program include preserving natural wildlife habitat and travel corridors, ensuring water and soil quality, and protecting ecosystem diversity, as well as all cultural, historical, archaeological, and aesthetic values of the land.
This conservation easement helps to give wildlife, such as grizzly bears, Canada lynxes, gray wolves, deer, elk, and moose an unimpaired passage between two mountain range ecosystems (Cabinet-Yaak and Selkirk), the McArthur Lake Wildlife Management Area, and the greater Panhandle national forest. It also helps to preserve riparian areas, as well as natural stream courses and wetlands for fish.
Practicing regenerative farming. The farm practices no-till, regenerative farming in an effort to cultivate the highest-quality conifer trees possible and protect the planet. The farm crew uses all leftover plant material from distillation to mulch the fields and improve the soil.
Protecting native pollinators: Since 2019, the Highland Flats farm has had the second-largest and most established waystation of all the farms, with 12,000 square feet that provide shelter and food to butterflies and pollinators alike. Here, we have planted over 2,100 plants of over 40 different native plant species.
The garden primarily consists of colorful flowering perennials that bloom from early May to late October, providing a diverse group of pollinators with nectar. There are three different species of milkweed specifically planted for the monarch migration and reproductive cycle.
Conserving wildlife habitats. The farm committed over 220 acres of land to the McArthur Lake Wildlife Corridor Conservation Easement. This easement is part of a federal conservation program that designates land as environmentally important and protects it from non-forest land uses and commercial development. The conservation values of the program include preserving natural wildlife habitat and travel corridors, ensuring water and soil quality, and protecting ecosystem diversity, as well as all cultural, historical, archaeological, and aesthetic values of the land.
This conservation easement helps to give wildlife, such as grizzly bears, Canada lynxes, gray wolves, deer, elk, and moose an unimpaired passage between two mountain range ecosystems (Cabinet-Yaak and Selkirk), the McArthur Lake Wildlife Management Area, and the greater Panhandle national forest. It also helps to preserve riparian areas, as well as natural stream courses and wetlands for fish.
Did you know?
Before Gary discovered his passion for essential oils, he worked as a professional logger. The Winter Harvest event held at this farm gave him the opportunity to share his love for responsible forestry and commitment to quality with members from all over the world.
Three essential oils produced by this farm are used in more than 50 different Young Living essential oil products.
The Highland Flats Tree Farm and Distillery was the initial pilot project to upgrade Young Living’s steam production from a traditional boiler to a more efficient steam generator.
The farm’s annual Winter Harvest event has been held every year for more than 20 years.
"The first harvest began in the harsh winter of 1998 when temperatures dropped to -25ºF in blinding cold snow and ice and then jumped up to 30ºF, with a warming rain that made moving over the ground difficult, due to the slick and gooey clay soil. Despite the hardships of producing the oil, the aroma was exquisite and brought an excitement that drove Gary to find its secrets. In 1999 120 acres were purchased, and a new Young Living farm was established. In 2013 Gary drew the plans for a new distillery, and in January 2014 distillation began."
–Mary Young, Young Living Co-Founder and CEO
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