Choose-and-cut growers attract traditionalists on quest for ideal Christmas tree
Artificial or real?
It’s the classic debate at the start of the Christmas season, pitting those who want the convenience of a tree in a box against those who prefer the authenticity and scent of an actual evergreen.
Dedicated traditionalists go even further, seeking a place where they can pick out, cut down and haul away the tree that best matches their image of a holiday centerpiece.
Visitors to Martin’s Christmas Tree Farm in Rostraver will find they have to apply some muscle power if they want to claim a tree on their own. As is the case at many similar establishments, patrons are provided a bow saw to separate the trunk of their desired tree from the stump; only staff are permitted to use chain saws.
“I have four guys who will help if they’re not capable of cutting it,” said farm operator Brad Martin, who is carrying on the legacy of his late father, George.
Martin’s helpers also stand by with quads hitched to carts, ready to transport trees downhill to customers’ cars. Then, “we bale them and we load them up,” he said.
Martin has trees in various stages of growth, from seedlings to 22-footers that require a high cathedral ceiling to display indoors.
The Fraser fir is the most popular type of Christmas tree on his farm.
“They’ll hold a decent-sized ornament, and they’re soft to the touch,” he noted. “They don’t prick you like a Scotch pine or a blue spruce will.”
Still, the latter varieties are available — as well as white pine and the Douglas fir, which also has soft needles.
Martin’s will be open 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. daily from Black Friday through Dec. 21.
Saws also are available at K&J Nurseries, where customers can “cut their own tree if they like,” said Kevin Keilman, who has operated the Indiana County business, with his wife, Julie, for two decades.
To make the Christmas tradition complete, a sled is at hand for hauling cut trees when snow has fallen on their East Wheatfield property, to the west of Laurel Hill.
Pre-cut trees also may be had. Varieties at K&J include Fraser and Douglas firs, as well as the concolor fir. The latter tree species “holds its needles real well,” said Kevin Keilman. “It has a medium needle that smells like citrus. It’s been around a long time, but sometimes it’s hard to find, and it’s harder to grow.”
Rounding out the selection are blue spruce and Serbian spruce, which has glossy green needles with streaks of white.
K&J offers some extras, including a tree preservative and tree bags that “make it easier to take the tree out of the house with very little mess,” when it’s ready for disposal, said Kevin Keilman.
K&J is open 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. daily from Black Friday through Dec. 22.
Area businesses that offer choose-and-cut Christmas trees include:
Nutbrown’s Tree Farm
Allison’s Christmas Trees
Bertovich Evergreen Christmas Tree Farm
Buchanan Evergreen Farm
Hozak Farms
Lake Forest Gardens
Rosenberger’s Tree Farm
Cypher’s Christmas Tree Farm
Grupp’s Christmas Trees
Pine Hill Farms
Renick’s Tree Farm
Quarter Pine Tree Farm
Graff Christmas Tree Farm
K&J Nurseries
Mytrysak Tree Farm
Ruffing’s Tree Farm
Candle Tree Farm
Lone Oak Tree Farm
Camp Jo-Ann Nursery
Martin’s Christmas Tree Farm
Jeff Himler is a TribLive reporter covering Greater Latrobe, Ligonier Valley, Mt. Pleasant Area and Derry Area school districts and their communities. He also reports on transportation issues. A journalist for more than three decades, he enjoys delving into local history. He can be reached at jhimler@triblive.com.
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