Just off of Highway 30, on a winding gravel road, is the Enchanted Valley Tree Farm. A family tradition for many, according to Joseph Reutter, owner of the farm, customers who visit have the opportunity to bring their animals, entertain their children, and learn about the land that Native Americans once cultivated.

“They can’t do that at a chain store,” Reutter said.

Reutter has been running the Enchanted Valley Tree Farm since 2000, but he started raising trees a decade before that.

He originally bought the 73 acres of land in 1983 for the timber, because he enjoys woodworking. In 1990, he planted the first plot of Christmas trees — some scotch pine, some white pine and a few fraser firs.

Now Reutter has two acres of evergreens for customers to choose from.

While many may think the Christmas tree business is a seasonal hobby, Reutter said he works on his tree farm year-round. Tasks include planting, keeping weeds and grass from suffocating the growing trees, and spraying for fungi and insects. Also, Reutter must work to protect the trees from damages due to the environment or weather.

“There are about 12 different hazards we have to watch for,” Reutter said.

While Reutter experienced trouble with fungi eating away at some of the trees due to the year’s unusually wet weather, he said he is still planning to sell about 200 trees this season, which is right around the number he normally sells.

Last weekend Reutter sold about 30 trees and noted that the economy has had no effect on how many people come out to buy trees.

“Last weekend was the best weekend we’ve had in a while,” Reutter said. “Maybe it’s like the ’30s in the movies, when people just want to buy a tree to cheer themselves up.”

Reutter’s farm is completely family-run, and he said that while he would like to expand his business, there are issues of where people would park on the land. Also, there is “no good place for people to get out of the cold,” Reutter said. He added that he’s working on getting a contractor to construct a small building on the land for those who need a place to relax. For now, Reutter sets up a fire and provides customers with hot cider and hot chocolate Reutter said the most popular time for people to come buy their trees is during the first two weeks of December.

“I don’t really like to sell them any later than that,” Reutter said.

He explained that scotch pines are more popular than white pines because they have stiffer needles for hanging ornaments.

Reutter also suggested buying real trees from a sustainable farm instead of fake trees.

“We cut one tree down, and we plant another,” he said.

According to the National Christmas Tree Association Web site, for each of the 25 – 30 million real Christmas trees sold each year, one to three seedlings are planted in its place. Also, real trees contain no non-biodegradable plastics — real Christmas trees are recyclable.

Also, Reutter said people who buy live trees from large corporate stores don’t know when the trees were cut, and don’t know how long they will last.

The Enchanted Valley Tree Farm also sells wreaths and garlands. The Reutter recently donated three trees to Trees for Troops, an organization that provides deployed troops with Christmas trees. According to the Christmas Spirit Foundation, more than 17,000 trees were donated last year. The Enchanted Valley Tree Farm was one of 700 farms in 29 states that donated to Trees for Troops.

The Enchanted Valley Tree Farm is located at 1323 Montana Road, just west of Boone.