The Christmas tree farming industry is in full swing with many people selecting their tree for the upcoming holiday season. A local farm will be providing a tree to be displayed in front of Lincoln Center in New York City.
This is the second year in a row Domes Tree Farm in Bliss has been asked to provide a tree to display. Last year the family-owned company won the honor through a photo contest with Lincoln Center.
“Word was put out that Lincoln Square was searching for a large Christmas tree and any of the growers that wanted to could submit photos of what they had for trees,” Domes said. “From the photo I submitted, they chose my tree and they were so impressed by it when I got it down to them last year that they said they just wanted to continue using my stuff from now on."
This year’s tree is a 30 foot tall Concolor Fir. Domes owns and operates the farm – which has been in his family since 1952 – alongside his wife Katie. Recently, they expanded the business to include a large live tree digging and transport operation. They transported the Lincoln Center tree to New York City last week.
The drought that struck Western New York and much of New York State this past summer could make operations difficult for Domes and other tree farmers in upcoming years.
“Many of the small stock got planted out this spring and suffered a lot from the drought,” Domes he said. “Because of their shallow root system, they just weren’t able to withstand the conditions. So a lot of the growers had big time losses. In eight to 10 years you’ll see a bit of a fluctuation in the availability of trees for a while until that is overcome.”
While artificial trees are popular in many homes and businesses, Domes warns against the misconceptions associated with them.
“They’re supposed to be easier to put up, more friendly environmentally, but it’s just the opposite,” said Domes. “Real trees, not only are they are grown crop, but they can be used as a renewable resource. The artificial trees they come from overseas – mainly China. They’re made out of plastic. Some have been known to give off toxic gas in closed spaces. They’re actually more of a fire hazard than a real tree is.”
275,000 real Christmas trees were harvested in annually in New York State in recent years. The state has 875 Christmas tree farms statewide – the 4th highest number in the nation.
