Christmas Tree Production
Growing Christmas trees can be a satisfying profession or hobby. It is labor intensive though and requires a good understanding of the business and the steps you must undertake to be successful . I know because I was involved in a family farm that sold as many as ten thousand trees a year. Harvesting is done in November and the weather is not always nice then. But, I enjoyed it when I was involved, and you can too.
There is a lot to learn about growing Christmas trees and I encourage you to do some research first. Visit with a grower involved with Christmas tree production and talk to him. He can give you some tips and pointers about the entire production method. There is planting, fertilizing, shearing, brush control, insect control, harvesting, baling, shipping, and sales. And then there is the bookwork.
I can't explain all of that in one web page. Therefore, I provided a few links that can further your understanding about Christmas tree production. You can search for more. I could be available for consultation.
Maine Christmas Tree Association: http://www.mainechristmastree.com/index.cfm
Balsam Fir: http://extension.umaine.edu/publications/2541e/
Christmas Tree Production Safety: http://umaine.edu/publications/2333e/
Growing Balsam Fir Wreath Brush: http://umaine.edu/publications/7089e/
Christmas Tree Marketing: http://umaine.edu/publications/7009e/
This is an older manual that has had some of the information deleted. But, I still think it is a very good manual and you should read it and keep it as a reference source if you grow trees or want to become a grower. Click the link.
