Mason Betschart, 3, helps siblings Landon Betschart and Raegan Betschart carry out a Christmas tree at Rudolph's Christmas Trees in Medford Friday.

After a four-decade career with the U.S. Forest Service, Rudolph’s Christmas Trees farm owner Rudolph Tantare couldn’t get away from tending trees — even in retirement.

One of two U-Cut Christmas tree farms in the region, which Tantare operates with his wife, Barbara, Rudolph’s has become a staple for local families during the holiday season.

While the U-Cut tree-cutting season lasts two — sometimes three — weekends at best, running the farm is a yearlong labor of love.

Every year, immediately after Thanksgiving, community members flock to the farm at 3706 Griffin Creek Road in Medford to try to pick the best Douglas fir on the picturesque 11 acres.

At any given time, upwards of 4,000 trees are growing on the farm with several hundred available each holiday season. Trees are planted in spring, with summer and fall chores ranging from feeding and trimming to irrigating, and what seems like endless mowing. Tree stock is calculated each year — how many to plant, how many to cut.

The Tantares bought the property in south Medford in 2010. Both Oregon natives, the couple met as students at Brookings High School. Attending then-Southern Oregon College before transferring to Umpqua Community College in Roseburg for a forestry degree, Rudolph, who goes by Rudy, had gone to work for the Chetco Ranger District when a military draft notice showed up in 1972.

“The draft was still on — it was the Vietnam era. Instead of getting drafted, I enlisted in the Air Force,” Rudy said.

“We got married just after I enlisted. After basic training, we moved to Germany and lived there throughout my enlistment.”

Returning to Oregon in 1976, the couple went back to Brookings, with Rudy working for the Chetco district’s silviculture division in the Rogue River-Siskiyou National Forest. In 2000, ranger districts were downsizing.

“They were combining some of the district offices to reduce personnel cost, and they combined Chetco and Gold Beach districts together. There was a lot of competition for positions. We saw an opportunity to move on, so we went to Montana for a little bit,” Rudy said. Working for a forest-restoration team for four years for an agency in Montana “until the funding lapsed,” the couple headed to Southern California.

“Barbara didn’t like the cold in Montana, and there was an opportunity in San Bernardino. It was just a lot of tree work, all those years,” he said.

“I’m not a scientist or anything like that. I do know how to take care of them and plant them. I can tell what they need,” Rudy added.

Shortly before retiring in San Bernardino, the couple saw a real estate listing for a piece of farmland in Southern Oregon. A Christmas tree farm was the furthest thing from their minds.

“We bought this place because we fell in love with it. There were no Christmas trees here or anything. The weeds were chest high,” said Barbara, adding, “When we saw the tax statement, there was something about EFU… exclusive farm use. Somebody told us, ‘That means, if you farm it, you get a big break on the taxes.’ So Rudy said, ‘Do Christmas trees count?’”

Jumping in with both feet, the couple purchased the property in 2010 and planted 1,000 Douglas fir trees the next year.

“I retired in 2012, but we came up here in spring 2011 and planted our first trees,” said Rudy. “We had a nice, wet year, so we didn’t have to worry about irrigation.”

Faced with naming their tree farm, the answer came so easily customers don’t always believe her husband shares the same name with a certain red-nosed reindeer, Barbara quipped.

“He’s had people ask him to prove it, to show them his driver’s license,” she said with a laugh.

Taking between seven and eight years for a tree to become sellable, the couple started selling their Douglas firs on a smaller scale in 2017 and 2018. The U-Cut concept was not their original plan.

“We started contacting different venues to see whether they’d be interested in our trees,” Rudy said.

“They needed an inventory of trees and for the trees to be graded. They said, ‘And you’ll have to cut ‘em and haul ‘em to our stores.’ Then they want to give you five cents a tree! We said, ‘Wait a minute. Why don’t we try a U-Cut and see what happens?’ The first year was kind of an experiment, but it was a really good experience for us, so we stuck with it,” he said.

Rudy said the U-Cut method eliminates waste and ensures longer-lasting trees.

“The big farms have to meet client needs. They cut the trees far in advance, so they don’t last as long once somebody takes them home,” he said.

“The opposite of that is on our farm — and all choose-and-cut farms. The tree is still growing until somebody picks it out. It may be dormant if it’s been cold, but it’s still living in the ground so when you take it home, it’s as fresh as you can get.”

While it would seem the only other Christmas tree farm business in town would offer stiff competition, Barbara said it’s never been the case. Larry Ryerson, co-owner of Medford U-Cut trees, on Camp Baker Road, “mentored us from the beginning.”

“He’s a great person,” she said.

“Everyone thinks it’s a competition, but it’s not,” Barbara added. “This year we had the taller ones, and he had the shorter. He gets precut Noble firs every year and we don’t. We send customers to him, and he sends customers to us.”

Braving the rain Friday morning, Medford resident Mike Betschart, with wife, Angela, and three kids in tow, found their perfect holiday tree for just $60 at Rudolph’s. The family is new to the Rogue Valley and was gifted a Forest Service tree last year — obtained with a $5 tree tag.

“It was OK, but it wasn’t the same. Every year up in Washington, we’ve always gone to tree farms and cut our own. For us, it’s the only option,” Mike Betschart said.

“It’s about the experience for the kids, and they really do last longer,” he added.

Rudy Tantare said he strives for his farm to be a viable option between dried-out tree lot firs and a long day in the woods with slim chance of finding a tree “that looks like a Christmas tree.” He’s a big fan of being part of the holiday experience for local families, too.

“My favorite thing is just seeing the faces of people we’ve met in previous years and having them come to me and say, ‘We’ve been coming here every year since you open and we just love coming here to get our tree,’” Rudy said.

“It really makes you feel good. At first, they come in with one or two children, then they show up ready to have another one. We watch their families grow and they say, ‘This is something we do as a family every year.’ It’s really great.’”

Tantare said the couple is in the business for the long haul.

“We’ve kind of made it a commitment for us to be here … for those memories,” he said.

“It’s something we can’t just walk away from now.”

Find your tree While Rudolph’s, and nearby Medford U-Cut (on Camp Baker Road) are both done selling U-Cut trees for the year, Medford U-Cut was still offering pre-cut Noble trees as of midweek. For more info on either tree farm, visit online: facebook.com/RudolphsTrees facebook.com/UCutChristmasTreeFarm

While Rudolph’s, and nearby Medford U-Cut (on Camp Baker Road) are both done selling U-Cut trees for the year, Medford U-Cut was still offering pre-cut Noble trees as of midweek.

For more info on either tree farm, visit online:

facebook.com/RudolphsTrees

facebook.com/UCutChristmasTreeFarm