Did you and your family pick out your Christmas tree over the weekend? Local tree farms and stands were busy with the sunny, dry day on Sunday.
Kunz's Tree Farm owner Jim Kunz and his family have had their farm on Five Mile Line Road for more than 50 years, since 1949. The family farm lost a few acres when the new Route 104 expressway came through Webster.
He told WXXI that business is steady year to year and he looks forward to seeing his customers again. "There are people that will come for a 'cut-your-own-tree' and there are a lot of people that like to go to a different farm every year. I think that I would do that myself, go to a different farm every once in a while just to mix things up and then 3 or 4 years later, they'll be back." He's had Fraser firs the last few years, but says he may choose a spruce tree next time.
Kunz advises to keep your tree away from heat, keep it watered and you'll be able to enjoy it for the season. If the bottom dries out, it can clog with sap and not be able to drink.
Jim Kunz knows a lot of people. He used to teach, and hires teenagers who live nearby. He feels they keep him young.
He enjoys helping his customers. "I educate them about the prices. I tell them about how strong limbs are, how long things will last. And then I educate them - or try to - on the way out as to how to take care of a tree. If you've got a wood burning stove, don't put your tree right next to the wood burning stove." A dry tree can be a fire hazard.
What it's like to grow these trees? Kunz says it's not just a December job. "I do all my own spraying. I do all my own trimming. I do all my own mowing. But I can kind of take my time during the year to do it. If it's a hot day I don't have to work (laughs)."
Kunz admits you won't see him working on trees when the bees are most active - usually during July.
Kunz's Tree Farm on Facebook.