Farm & Ranch

Zach Kulpa

As the Christmas season rapidly approaches, Adams Ranch & Trees diligently prepares for this busy, yet rewarding, time of year. The business is family owned and operated by Steve and Kit Adams of Dayton, Mont., who will harvest, transport and sell approximately 3,000 Christmas trees this holiday season.

The business also sells landscape trees throughout the year, constructs massive water-feature rock projects, raises hay to be sold and assists homes with fire reduction and dangerous tree removal.

"We have always ran a very diversified operation where there is always a number of different things going on," he explained. "When something isn't going too well, we have been able to lean on a stronger portion of our business."

Adams grew up in the area and met his future wife, Kit, in grade school; they were married in 1977 and immediately began the business thereafter.

"This has definitely always been a family operation," he said. "She has been beside me all the way, she's the boss… I'm only joking, but on a serious note, she has always been beyond helpful and supportive."

The couple also has two sons, Ben and Whit, who have assisted with the family business and have succeeded in starting their respective careers. Ben is married and owns a landscaping business in Arlee. Whit works as a geologist in Alaska and is also married.

"It has always been a lot of hard work but we really enjoy this life, and it's always great having the boys help out during Christmas time," he lit up when speaking about his family.

The month of November will be hectic for Adams as he prepares for the demanding Christmas tree season. They will sell roughly 3,000 Christmas trees from the lot at Rosauers Supermarket on the corner of Reserve and South in Missoula.

The entire process is very elaborate and begins in June or July as he purchases plantation trees from different farms in Oregon, Washington and Idaho. Near the end of November, Adams will pick up and transport the plantation trees himself with his own tractor-trailer.

"We try to offer everything that you can possibly call a Christmas tree, and a lot of types just don't grow here in the Mission Mountain area," he explained. "I have to go buy any type of tree that doesn't grow here in the region from a plantation."

He finds the other "wild" Christmas tree types from the Mission Mountains area. These trees have already been harvested by him and sit on the ranch, bailed and ready for transport to Missoula at the end of the month. The lot at Rosauers in Missoula can display 500 trees at once by standing the trees up on an elaborate grid system. He will transport the first 500 trees to the lot on the day after Thanksgiving where they will open for business, seven days a week from 9 a.m. to 10 p.m. up until Christmas. The family will then remain in Missoula and operate the business themselves, as well as transporting and refilling the lot with trees when needed.

"We do not have the highest priced trees in town but we always have a tree for everybody, we've sold to Les Schwab, Hank Williams Jr. and even tied a tree to a limousine last year," he said. "Our family works towards having the best trees and best service for the lowest possible cost."

The current economy and recent high diesel prices have certainly affected the way Adams runs his business. He explained that the high gas prices have made it difficult and expensive to own and operate his massive logistical transportation truck.

"The total number of trees bought from the plantation is done in the summer through a projection and this year we had to modify our projection slightly," he described his business in these rough times. "Yes, it has an effect and we might have to adjust our prices but you have to feel the market out to see what it can handle and do whatever it takes to run a successful business."

The majority of Adams Ranch & Tree's year-round business comes from growing and selling landscape trees. These trees are also sold from the Rosauers lot during the springtime from early April until late May.

"If it's a shade tree or a decorating tree, we sell it; maple, aspen, pine, ash, spruce and many other different types," he explained the landscape tree portion of the family business, "this is what I am most proud of, but then again, that might just be because the landscape trees involve the most work."

Adams Ranch & Trees specializes in larger trees whose root ball can weigh anywhere from 1000 to 4000 pounds, so he will usually transport and plant the tree for a customer, unless of course it is a major landscaping business buying directly from him. His landscape tree business has spread wide across the region as he has sold trees to people from St. Regis all the way to Butte, Great Falls and even Bozeman.

The business also raises alfalfa on their ranch with a pivot irrigation system and sells the resulting hay directly to local stock cow owners. Furthermore, he keeps the area safe by offering fire reduction to local homes and additionally can remove dangerous trees that threaten a home.

To keep the family business growing, he started designing and constructing massive rockwork water features for businesses or private homes. Adams and his son recently planned and built the elaborate water features within the Stonehorse real estate community just north of Polson. This project was a major undertaking for him, and the structures were fabricated utilizing rocks that came from the local area. The rock features present waterfalls that run on a thousand gallons a minute and are surrounded by gorgeous landscaping, created and planted by his son's landscaping business.

The Adams family anticipates a busy Christmas tree season, but then again, that's the way they have always liked it.