 Christmas tree farming is a rapidly increasing industry in the Pacific Northwest. As people demand more and better Christmas trees, the numbers available from uncultured natural stands is steadily decreasing. At the same time, Christmas tree farmers are learning to culture and shape both plantation grown and natural trees to make them more full and bushy. We begin the story of the cultured Christmas tree in this tumbler which extracts the seed from the dried cones. A vibrating sieve separates the seeds from the chaff and other impurities. Seeds are sold in bulk to nurseries specializing in Christmas tree planting stock. This handful represents hundreds of future seedlings. The spacing of the seeds depends on the species. Planting too closely retards the growth. The heavy roller packs the seeds firmly. Often it is necessary to provide artificial shade to present sun burning. Species like the Douglas fir may reach four inches in the first year. After two years growth, the seedlings are dug up. They are then replanted at wider spacing to allow the tops and roots more room to develop. Regular sprinkling and hand weeding are necessary for vigorous growth and good survival. After the third year in the nursery, the seedlings are lifted and sold to Christmas tree growers. This underground knife loosens the roots but does not damage them. Roots must be kept wet at all times, even while the trees are being taken from the field to the nearby packing shed. The entwined roots are separated. Then the seedlings are sorted into bunches of 25. The roots are trimmed to make them easier to plant. Each bunch is wrapped in wet peat moss for packaging and waterproof bags. The seedlings are kept in cold storage until delivered to Christmas tree growers. The old reliable method of tree planting is along a marked line with a shovel or planting bar. Underground air pockets around the roots are eliminated by stomping the ground. On larger plantations, machine planters are sometimes used to speed up the planting operation. A hilly farm such as this may not be profitable for growing most annual agricultural crops, but will lend itself well to the growing of Christmas trees. Whenever a Christmas tree farmer finds himself with a surplus of trees, he establishes them in a transplant bed to replace trees that may die in the field. As on other croplands, grass and weeds create a problem by robbing moisture and nourishment from the soil. Some farmers still rely on hand or machine weeding. A newer method utilizes selective chemical sprays that kill the grass and weeds without affecting the trees. After three years in the field, these trees are ready for basal pruning to expose the lower branches to sunlight, making them bushy and vigorous, and to form a good handle to place in the Christmas tree stand. Next, the leaders and side branches are cut back. Tops are cut with a hand pruner. The sides are trimmed with a long, sharp shearing knife. The tree must be sheared every year until harvested, and each year it becomes more bushy and heavily branched. These are the qualities demanded of a plantation-grown Douglas fir. A good job of shearing produces a pleasing cone shape. Douglas fir Christmas trees are grown in cultured wild stands as well as in plantations. The first step in culturing a wild stand is to remove alders, brush and other unwanted species. The young fir trees that are left are thinned to allow each one room to grow. Only those with the best shape are left standing. Limbing the felled tree causes it to decay sooner, reducing the danger of forest fires. Wild trees are basal pruned higher on the stem than plantation trees. First, a strong uniform bottom whorl is chosen above the shade of ferns, brush and other ground cover. Pruning below the bottom whorl in this manner stunts the leader growth somewhat and gives a more compact appearance. Some growers shear the branches, while others leave them natural. These trees will be ready to start harvesting in three or four more years. To improve the color, the trees are fertilized in the spring of the harvest year with nitrogen pellets. The end result of fertilizing is greener, longer and more robust needles, which most buyers prefer. Some growers practice stump culture, which is leaving a few live branches below the cut to grow a new tree. A good example is this well-formed two-year-old sprout. A popular kind of Christmas tree introduced from Europe is the scotch pine. It is easily identified by its long shiny needles that occur in bunches of two each. Pines are sheared in much the same manner as Douglas fir. Shearing is restricted to early summer, while the new growth is soft and succulent. Only at this time will new buds form from each cut branch. Most of these seven-year-old pines are ready to harvest. Another beautiful Christmas tree is the grand fir, which is related to the eastern balsam fir. It is identified by its flat comb-like needle arrangement. Two white stomata lines on the underside of the needle and a notch on the needle tip. One of the most majestic of all Christmas trees is the noble fir, with its symmetrical branch arrangement and stiff upright needles. With special care it can be grown in lowland plantations. However, this high elevation true fir is native only to the mountains of western Oregon and Washington. Thinning and basal pruning are the only attention given to wild stands of noble fir. The basal pruning slows growth, which compresses the symmetrical floral development. Harvest time on the Christmas tree farm begins in the latter part of November. On this cultured natural Douglas fir stand, the cutter selects and chops down the trees that are ready to harvest. Several workers called draggers gather up the fallen trees and carry them to the truck for loading. An anchored cable around the trees pulls off the load. The processing yard where trees are prepared for shipment is a beehive of activity at cutting time. Weather at this time of year is very changeable. Rain, although uncomfortable to the workers, keeps the trees moist and fresh. Each tree is inspected for quality and its height determined by the measuring rod on the conveyor. The color of the attached tag signifies the grade and height of each tree. The gold tag represents the highest possible quality at this yard. After tagging, the trees are stacked according to size and grade. The balers carefully compact the trees into bundles of the same size and grade. The purpose of baling is for ease of handling, space saving and prevention of damage in transit. Last operation before shipment is trimming the handles to proper length. The activities of processing and shipping are compressed into a period of only three weeks. Trees are shipped from the Pacific Northwest by truck, railroad car, ship and even airplane to markets in many areas of the United States. Orders consigned to the most distant markets are shipped first. Different yards use different loading techniques. Yards like this one use different baling techniques. Here they are using plastic netting instead of baling twine. The machine compresses one or more trees according to size into a single sleeve. This portable baling machine is working directly behind the cutters on the plantation cutting area. Plantation grown trees are bulkier than those grown on natural areas and are baled singly. The simplest kind of plastic netting baler is this one. Here are two kinds of packaging. Unbaled trees are being delivered to a retail lot by a local grower. An experienced retailer displays each tree individually for customer inspection. A good tree attractively displayed will sell itself. Natural forest areas where families find and cut their own Christmas trees are rapidly becoming a thing of the past. In order to keep this traditional method of cutting alive, some growers have established choose and cut Christmas tree farms. Besides ensuring a fresh cut tree, this method of harvesting provides an enjoyable out-of-door experience for the entire family. A freshly cut tree is still a thirsty living plant. To maintain its freshness, it is wise to place the handle in a bucket of water as soon as it is brought home. A water stand, when replenished daily, helps to maintain maximum freshness and fireproofing in the home. Basically there are two types of trees, the sheared and the unsheared. The unsheared type lends itself best to pendant type ornaments or decorations. The sheared bushy type are decorated best with a garland-type trim. What we have seen is the end result of man's ingenuity in improving on a natural product. He has established a significant new industry by creating a more beautiful product, the cultured Christmas tree.