Rochester Christmas tree farm prepares for holiday season

ROCHESTER, Minn. (KTTC) – Choose and Cut Fraser Firs LLC in Rochester is getting ready for early Christmas tree shoppers as they plan to open on Saturday.

Farmers Michael and Doug Dose say there are more than 22,000 trees in their farm with various heights.

They said the majority of their trees are Fraser firs which are planted from seedlings.

According to the farmers, Fraser firs can reach a height of about 80 feet, but they are cut and sold when they are about eight feet tall.

They said the trees take seven to eight years to become ready for sale.

Doug said Christmas tree-cutting is an important tradition for many families at the farm.

He said although drought in recent years impacted the industry, the tree-cutting tradition is still popular, with the pandemic making families wanting to get out.

“People that come out are excited about finding a tree and cutting it down. It’s a family tradition and we’ve had people come out for it since 1991.”

Michael Dose recommends watering the Christmas tree when freshly cut before placing in the house.

“Don’t let it go dry ever,” he said. “I think you will have pretty good success. Like I said, we have Fraser firs, which has the best needle retention. So, you’re not gonna have a lot of needles dropping either so that helps with the mess at the house.”

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