Christmas trees

[coxy]

cant believe how much there getting for them  I told the guy yesterday I don't get that much for a 20in spruce log  ;D

[Don P]

The crews just left here, tractors, semis, etc. They are heading for the FL strawberry fields, same farm owners, then back here in spring for tree planting, setting out strawberries that will be transplanted down there, planting pumpkins and shearing Christmas trees. Pretty slick, they figured out how to keep the workforce busy year round. The local store just emptied out till they return. At the height of harvest it's stand back, the pickup trucks and trailers are rolling out of the fields with a couple of hundred baled trees per trailer heading for the packing yards. I've been standing at a corner and nearly hit by a tree rolling off one of those, Merry Christmas  :D

[PA_Walnut]

Visited a tree farm right over the mountain from my place. $32 for a large (over 5') and $24 for smaller.   ;D
Previous years I've seen 3x that from temp retailers.

[WDH]

I paid $50 for a beautiful 6' frasier fir.  I buy my Christmas trees from an old guy that runs a little stand selling some produce and I like giving him business because he is trying to scrape out a living.  Just an old local guy, kinda like me.  I could have bought one at the local Ace Hardware for $38, or one from Lowes for $45.  But that is not the point.  It suits me to support a local guy rather than the Giant Retailers. 

[runmca]

we usually visit the local tree farm and cut our own, price increased to $55. This year we decided to buy a live spruce that we'll plant after Christmas.

[chevytaHOE5674]

I went out in the corner of the cow pasture and cut a white spruce, it isn't the best looking tree but it was free and once decorated it looks as nice as any IMO.

[Kbeitz]

A lot of people don't realize what it takes to raise a Christmas tree.
I grew up on my Dads tree farm. I take 12-15 years to grow a tree
from a 3-4 year old transplant. All weeds need cut every year.
Spraying needs done when they get to size and it'e all hard work.



 

[51cub]

I can see both sides. My family sold Christmas trees when I was young. In the mid 1960s, we were selling them for $1 a ft. I see the price now, it does seem like alot until I remember the time put into them

[florida]

With my blessing, my wife bought a fairly expensive artificial tree year before last at a huge discount. I said I'd never do it but the hassle factor of getting, putting up and taking down of a real tree finally wore me out. I get the fake tree out of the attic, set it on the stand and go to the woods. Works for me!

[coxy]

we had fake trees for a long time but I like the smell of a real one  maybe I can find some kind of a spray  :D  my aunt and uncle always had a hemlock for there tree put a different smell in the house and the needles seemed to last longer before they fell off  ???

[thecfarm]

At least the trees are made in America.

[4x4American]

My one neighbor sells em for $12/tree any size and the other neighbor sells em for $10/tree any size.  That's the kinda markets we have around here, and I guarantee some ppl still complain thats too high, the jb's.

[Hilltop366]

$20 at the store just around the corner some places are $35, my daughter and I always go in the woods behind the house to get a 3 or 4 foot one for her, time spent with her... priceless.

[moosehunter]

I used to help at my in laws tree farm this time of year.  Really enjoyed helping families get their tree , expecially the kids. One year some friends had an exchange st from Brazil,  we told him he needed a "Christmas Tree Hunting License " before he could cut down a tree.  Had it planned ahead of time so mom in law just happened to have a "foriegn citizen Christmas Tree Hunting license " form.  Had him fill it out then let him cut the tree.
Ya, it might have been mean but we had a lot of fun with it!

[Chuck White]

When I was stationed in Anchorage, Alaska we used to buy our Christmas trees from a guy who brought them in from Minnesota by the tractor trailer load!

We bought from him from 85-88 and got them for around $40.00 each year!

[coxy]

At least the trees are made in America.

how do you know for shur they may have been imports when little :D :D

[samandothers]

As a kid at home we would go and cut a cedar for our Christmas tree.  Sure did smell good! Boy they were prickly to decorate!

Can white pines be trimmed (pruned) to fill out (fuller look) as a Christmas tree?

[Don P]

Sure. Most of what you are seeing up here is fraser fir and then white pines get tipped for wreaths and roping but in lowlier areas that can't grow a fraser fir, white pines are pretty common. 30 years ago they said you couldn't grow a fraser below 3500 ft, they are growing them a thousand feet lower now.

[Chuck White]

Far as I'm concerned, any conifer can be a Christmas Tree, first off, you have to believe then you have to get the tree into the house and decorated!

The spirit of Christmas is EVERYTHING!

[4x4American]

Chuck that bewilders me!  First off, you would think that with all the trees in Alaska they'd be able to scrounge up some Christmas trees..and secondly, with a quick google maps search it says its a 53 hour drive to minnesota...how does that work!?  Only thing I can think of is the guy must've had a pretty dang good backhaul.

[Chuck White]

Not sure if he had a backhaul or not, I just know the trailer was jam-packed full of Christmas trees!

The Spruce in Alaska is mostly Black Spruce and they don't have much of a shape as far as Christmas trees go, and not very many limbs!

Most (if you did cut one) would require cutting a 35-40 foot tall tree just so you could get the top of it!

[sprucebunny]

And that's exactly what they do to bl. spruce in Minnesota ! A friend in MN builds/rebuilds tracked machines and he set up 2 used Muskegs with towers so they could top black spruce for Christmas trees.

My land has way too much balsam so I do some thinning this time of year. Make a few wreaths...big fat fluffy ones. I have 2 12 foot trees. One on the porch and one wired to something in the driveway....You won't have enough branches to hang all 438 ornaments but they look good with lights.

[Don P]

When I was working in the furniture shop one of the guys came in with 3 Charlie Brown trees and wanted us to set up one in the breakroom. With a drill and loppers we made one very full tree  :D

[BradMarks]

Not a lot of snow this year so I was able to make it to the "spruce patch". For over 30 yrs been going to the same place when I can. Tree's keep growing, selection gets tougher. $5 Forest Service permit, $20 bucks in gas, afternoon outdoors, as they say, priceless.

[Kbeitz]

Some field shots....