This is a man of few words, many trees and more ideas.

Steve Johnson, co-owner of the Lazy J Christmas tree farm, will see lots of his firs come back to him this week and next.

As local families dismantle their holiday decor, he takes their trees free of charge.

But first he takes a walk around the 85-acre farm, where several thousand Christmas trees are in various stages of growth.

He allows himself a “Phew, we made it through another season.”

About a minute later, the new season starts.

“We’ll do some grinding,” Johnson said.

In other words, he’ll transform discarded trees into mulch for gardening and landscaping.

“I kind of grew into this mulching thing,” he said.

Those trees he raised will return, in a new form, to the land that gave them life.