Christmas Trees Get a Summer Trim
Most people in western New York may be wondering when the summer weather will start, but the workers at Stokoe Farms in Wheatland couldn’t be happier with the cool conditions.
“Usually the kids are out in the heat all morning working on the Christmas trees, and that is tough,” said founder Larry Stokoe, 73. “This year it is like Washington- and Oregon-type weather. That is why those states are the Christmas tree capitals of the country.”
The Stokoes grow Christmas trees on 75 acres of their 4,000-acre farm. In June, July and most of August, the family hires 8 to 12 high school and college students to shear and trim the trees so that they will be formed well for the holidays.
As soon as a tree turns 3, it must be trimmed each summer until it is ready to be sold at 8 to 10 years old.
“It is an art form to get it in the right shape,” said Suzanne Stokoe, 43, of Wheatland. “This has been a nice year for working outside. The cooler weather is better for the tree, and the workers, than the hot and humid weather.”
Suzanne said their biggest worry this year is that all the moist, cool days have caused second growths on the trees they have already trimmed.
“That usually isn’t a problem around here, but the Douglas firs are getting secondary growths on them,” she said.
The Stokoes, who have run the farm for 22 years, grow about 1,200 trees on each one of their acres. Besides the Christmas trees, they grow pumpkins, corn and soy beans on the rest of the farm.
“This is a great summer job,” said Ben Hogan, 16, of Wheatland, as he hacked away at a tree. “A lot of my friends have worked here and my brother worked here for a long time.”
