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Real or Artificial?

Started by Ljohnsaw, November 30, 2013, 01:53:57 AM

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Ljohnsaw

Just curious,
All you forest owners, do you have a real tree or an artificial one? 

We bought a really nice artificial tree  probably 10 years ago and it still looks great.  We get comments that it looks real, but it don't smell like the real thing!  Since I just bought some land, I almost cut a tree for Christmas.  The problem is, my trees are really big (100'+) and I don't think I have any "house sized" ones about on my 10 acres.  There were a couple of "small" Firs in the 15-20' range that I could top...  Maybe I'll start a small tree patch in an open area after I clear some nasty brush out.
John Sawicky

Just North-East of Sacramento...

SkyTrak 9038, Ford 545D FEL, Davis Little Monster backhoe, Case 16+4 Trencher, Home Built 42" capacity/36" cut Bandmill up to 54' long - using it all to build a timber frame cabin.

terry f

   Artificial, cleaner and easier. I cut some and give them away at work sometimes, in fact I think I'll do that tomorrow.

Tree Killer

Oh... you were asking about trees....    :D :D whoops.. I vote for real ones and for artificial trees. :)

sprucebunny

Balsam as tips or small trees is about the only thing my land produces.
Now, if I can just find someone to buy them.
The places that make wreaths have their own supply of tips and I haven't the time to sit by the road and sell Charlie Brown Christmas trees for $5 or $10. So I make a few wreaths and give them to friends and make nice puffy trees by zip tying 3-4 together  ;D
MS193, MS192 and an 026  Weeding and Thinning. Gilbert Champion sawmill

timberlinetree

We always go to the local Christmas tree farm. They always have a warm fire and hot chocolate. It's a great time with the family and one of the only times I enjoy my wife not being able to make up her mind. :D It's also nice to watch the kids cut down the tree insted of me and we all yell timber. I also like how the vaacuum makes the house smell long after the tree is gone. ;D Hope everyone has lots of fun memories setting up this year!
I've met Vets who have lived but still lost their lives... Thank a Vet

Family man and loving it :)

SwampDonkey

Lots of real ones up here on farms and woodlots. ;D We have lots of tip buyers to, some are fussier than others. I have seen wreaths sold at stores with tips a lot worst than some buyers turn down. It became too fickle and whimsical for me to be bothered with. I couldn't do wreaths on production because I get tendonitis too bad from gripping the brush all day. Can't take it.
"No amount of belief makes something a fact." James Randi

1 Thessalonians 5:21

2020 Polaris Ranger 570 to forward firewood, Husqvarna 555 XT Pro, Stihl FS560 clearing saw and continuously thinning my ground, on the side. Grow them trees. (((o)))

Peter Drouin

I have them planted all over my land . But it takes years to get them just right, ;D all my neighbors grow them too
A&P saw Mill LLC.
45' of Wood Mizer, cutting since 1987.
License NH softwood grader.

SwampDonkey

My cousins seem to harvest new ones beginning at 6 or 7 years. They are usually 7 or 8 feet by then. Markets seem to be way down the last 3 years. Everyone and their neighbor starting to grow them. :D ;) That's what usually happens with anything, saturate the market and drive down the price. ;D
"No amount of belief makes something a fact." James Randi

1 Thessalonians 5:21

2020 Polaris Ranger 570 to forward firewood, Husqvarna 555 XT Pro, Stihl FS560 clearing saw and continuously thinning my ground, on the side. Grow them trees. (((o)))

g_man

Our woods are full of small balsams so I always went out and cut one. Sometimes it was hard to find just the right one though. Then one year, and I can't remember why, I bought an artificial. It was all white.  I didn't like the green ones that were supposed to look real but to me just looked like a fake tree. The white one just looked like a decoration.
When the grandkids came over they raved about granma's white tree with all the tiny lights. So now we alternate between real and artificial.
I put my chaps under the fake tree to give it the authentic balsam smell  ;D

Woodboogah

The wife and I took the dog up to the White Mountains and cut ours. Good way to get out and spend the day.  Try to make it a new tradition. 
Keenan Logging & Tree Care, LLC

doctorb

One of my neighbors grows them so he can throw a pre-Christmas neighborhood pary and give a tree to everybody.  We take maybe 12 trees a year, total, between us.  It's a nice gesture  from a nice man.  We throw a little party that afternoon.  A good way to keep up with your neighbors.  He replants a dozen or so each year. 

So, we have had a fresh cut tree as long as we have lived here -15 years.
My father once said, "This is my son who wanted to grow up and become a doctor.  So far, he's only become a doctor."

coxy

artificial the wife don't like the mess but I love the smell of the real ones going to try to talk her in to a real one this year :D :D

Ed_K

 I marked real on our land,but it's usually a 2' w/pine  ;D .
Ed K

thecfarm

Trees do not grow pretty for a Christmas tree on my land. I've had a few come and look and all have left empty handed. We go with a fake one. One reason she wants the tree up today or tomorrow. And she will look and look for that perfect tree at a Christmas Tree Farm. I bet she will really look at about 20 trees and she knows which one she wants,but can't remember where it was,so we start all over again. Than when we get it home EVERY year I hear the same thing,Oh,if I would of saw that bad place I would not of got it. One year was a dry year here. The tree stopped taking water after a week. I just find a fake one is easier, Than she can bend the "limb" the way she wants.
But outside I put up about 10 trees for her and put the lights to them. I just about cut anything down,thay may not look the best,but they all look the same.  ;D
Merry Christmas
Model 6020-20hp Manual Thomas bandsaw,TC40A 4wd 40 hp New Holland tractor, 450 Norse Winch, Heatmor 400 OWB,YCC 1978-79

DDDfarmer

It's not Christmas without a real tree.  The ex bought a fake tree and we put it up once, it was too perfect and no smell.  It's been in the box the last 16 or so years.. 

About Dec 15 we will all go out and look for a tree,  try to get a balsam but wont turn down a really nice white spruce.  If we can get it in the door we will take it lol. 8)
Treefarmer C5C with cancar 20 (gearmatic 119) winch, Husky 562xp 576xp chainsaws

SwampDonkey

Over the years we had fir, spruce, white cedar, red pine, whatever mood mother was in for.  I really like a pasture grown white cedar, nice and dense and full. Nice cedar oil smell to. ;D
"No amount of belief makes something a fact." James Randi

1 Thessalonians 5:21

2020 Polaris Ranger 570 to forward firewood, Husqvarna 555 XT Pro, Stihl FS560 clearing saw and continuously thinning my ground, on the side. Grow them trees. (((o)))

gologit

I cut a real tree every year off of our own ground.  Usually it's cedar but we've also used white fir, doug fir, and pine.
We have a lot of re-prod growing but sometimes by this time of the year we're snowed out of the higher elevations.
Semi-retired...life is good.

Northern Timber Harvesting

Real. (is there such thing as a capital period?)

beenthere

south central Wisconsin
It may be that my sole purpose in life is simply to serve as a warning to others

Magicman

This little tree would not even have to be decorated.   :) 


 
It was just standing there saying, "please take my picture".
Knothole Sawmill, LLC     '98 Wood-Mizer LT40SuperHydraulic   WM Million BF Club Member   WM Pro Sawyer Network

It's Weird being the Same Age as Old People

Never allow your "need" to make money to exceed your "desire" to provide quality service.....The Magicman

timberlinetree

The family at the tree farm :laugh:

 
I've met Vets who have lived but still lost their lives... Thank a Vet

Family man and loving it :)

Ken

We will put up a real one but it will only be up for 3 or 4 days.  We live beside a Christmas tree farm so I don't have to go far to get one.  A client of mine who passed away last year had some x-mas trees planted on his place and he would say that if you had a plastic tree you should have to eat plastic turkey. 
Lots of toys for working in the bush

goose63

Here at our place we only have 15 and are way to big to get in the house so thy stay in the yard 8) :snowball: :new_year:
goose
if you find your self in a deep hole stop digging
saw logs all day what do you get lots of lumber and a day older
thank you to all the vets

James Arsenault

When I was younger, I swore no artificial tree would ever disgrace my home. Then my wife's parents gave her one, and I grudgingly allowed it for a few years. Then it began to fall apart........we are now back to a real tree once again.

clww

We have used an artificial one for many years. I feel bad cutting down a perfectly healthy tree for three weeks use.
Many Stihl Saws-16"-60"
"Go Ask The Other Master Chief"
18-Wheeler Driver

SwampDonkey

I don't worry about the cutting of a good balsam fir, because we have billions all through the woods. I don't know of a woodlot that hasn't got some fir around here. This year there was a lot of new seed in all them cones. The tops of some trees look brown because of all the busted up fir cones that fell apart in the wind. ;)
"No amount of belief makes something a fact." James Randi

1 Thessalonians 5:21

2020 Polaris Ranger 570 to forward firewood, Husqvarna 555 XT Pro, Stihl FS560 clearing saw and continuously thinning my ground, on the side. Grow them trees. (((o)))

ST Ranch

REAL TREE !!!

I grow and sell Christmas trees as part of my ranch operations - I grow most of them on Utility ROWs [agreement with utility company to manage vegatation to a certain tree height] where ther are just mowed with a hydro-axe if left to nature.

I sell them to Boy Scout and 4H groups on the Canadian Prairies as well as to US wholesalers.

top 3 pics are of trees on ROW and bottom 2 are of the tree yard and loading.

Tom



  

  

  

  

 

LT40G28 with mods,  Komatsu D37E crawler,
873 Bobcat with CWS log grapple,

Maine372

 

figured I would post some proof. took daughter (20 months) and wife (behind the camera) out in the woods and cut one down the old fashioned way. cut it Monday and had to leave it in the driveway today and let the snow melt off! just brought it in, didn't turn out to bad for a woods tree.

thecfarm

Now that is a Christmas card picture.
Model 6020-20hp Manual Thomas bandsaw,TC40A 4wd 40 hp New Holland tractor, 450 Norse Winch, Heatmor 400 OWB,YCC 1978-79

g_man

Neat. I agree with cfarm.
imagine cutting a couple cord of pulp a day that way.

Roger2561

I remember as a child, my dad, siblings (8 siblings) and I would go to the woods with dad carrying the axe to get a tree.  All of us had to agree which tree was worthy for us.  I tell ya, dad had to be an angel for the patience he had while we decided which tree was the best one for the house.  Today I have an artificial tree.  I simply do not have the time to keep it watered nor the time to go get one.  Plus, where I live the cheapest price for a 7 footer will run around $65.00 to $75.00/tree.  Roger       
Roger

SwampDonkey

Hahaha, I can remember dad taking us to the woods a couple days after Christmas. Not for a Christmas tree, but to cut firewood for next year or softwood logs. Could (mother) barely hold him off that long. If not the woods, then on the end of a potato rack. That's what his old man was like before him...so.. :D :D
"No amount of belief makes something a fact." James Randi

1 Thessalonians 5:21

2020 Polaris Ranger 570 to forward firewood, Husqvarna 555 XT Pro, Stihl FS560 clearing saw and continuously thinning my ground, on the side. Grow them trees. (((o)))

Roxie

We have had the same artificial tree for 25 years.  It's still beautiful, and because there are serious allergy problems in the family, our only option. 

Say when

Ianab

Artificial again this year, just hauled it down from storage in the ceiling, unfolded it, and plugged it in, and we are good to go.

Lara topping it off.


Built in LEDs  :)



So yeah, it's starting to look like Christmas here, in a summery sort of way.  :D
Weekend warrior, Peterson JP test pilot, Dolmar 7900 and Stihl MS310 saws and  the usual collection of power tools :)

RynSmith

Look how big Lara is!   :o   :)

Jeff

Artificial due to severe allergies in our household. I'm quite contact allergic to any kind of fir.
Just call me the midget doctor.
Forestry Forum Founder and Chief Cook and Bottle Washer.

Commercial circle sawmill sawyer in a past life for 25yrs.
Ezekiel 22:30

sawguy21

Artificial here. We always had a real tree when I was a kid but they were plentiful and free. It was a great outing for the family, of course dad did all the work cutting and dragging it to the road.
Space here is at a premium so a small one on the coffee table keeps Karen and the grand children happy.
old age and treachery will always overcome youth and enthusiasm

SwampDonkey

Allergies aren't fun. I knew someone extremely allergic to fir, even just the smell. That doesn't bode well when the woods is full of fir about anywhere you step up here. There are lots of people that use black spruce brush as well for trim and wreaths, it has a more sweat odor to it. Plus a lot of white pine. The poor old white pine I planted near the road gets mangled by the moose and clipped by Christmas brush seekers. Man, I saw 4 white pine today back in the woods, all around 8 feet tall, or where before the moose removed all the bark and limbs and needles. I have no idea why moose hate white pine. :D
"No amount of belief makes something a fact." James Randi

1 Thessalonians 5:21

2020 Polaris Ranger 570 to forward firewood, Husqvarna 555 XT Pro, Stihl FS560 clearing saw and continuously thinning my ground, on the side. Grow them trees. (((o)))

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