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Captioning provided by
Extension and Experiment

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Station Communications at
Oregon State University.

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Chal Landgren: I'm Chal
Landgren, Extension Forester

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with the Oregon State
University Extension Service.

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And I'll be your host
on a series of videotapes

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on Shearing and
Culturing Christmas Trees.

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In this series, we'll be running through

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the yearly chores that need to be done

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of the culturing and
shearing of Christmas trees.

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The methods that we're
going to be talking about

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throughout this series
are not meant to be

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the one and only way of doing something.

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In fact, in many cases we'll be offering

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two or three solutions
to a particular problem

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that you may face on
your Christmas tree farm.

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I think it's also
important for you to become

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partly detective, in
looking back and seeing

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how your trees responded
to a particular treatment

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that you might have
tried on your tree farm.

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Even growers with thirty-plus
years of experience in

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growing noble fir are often challenged

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by the way this species
responds to various

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treatments, and are
always learning new things.

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Barney Douglass is a
long time tree grower,

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Christmas tree consultant,
and probably the most widely

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published author on Christmas tree

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growing and culturing in the country.

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Barney Douglass: Some
people call the noble fir

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the Cadillac of Christmas
trees because of its

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good keeping qualities and
very attractive appearance.

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It might also be called the
primadonna of Christmas trees

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because it is a very
temperamental and difficult

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to culture species.

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I'm going to show you some
of the tricks of the trade

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on  how to culture
noble firs and develop

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a high percentage of number one quality.

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I'm going to identify the different

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parts of a Christmas tree.

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These names will be
important as we describe

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various cultural practices.

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I'll start at the top
of the tree and go down.

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At the very top of the leader,

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we have a group of buds here that makes

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the future growth of the tree.

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Those are called the
terminal buds on the leader.

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This portion from the top whorl

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to the terminal buds
is called the leader.

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There are no branches
on the leader, just buds.

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This is the top whorl.

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On a noble fir we very seldom ever

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cut back the top whorl.

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This is called the internodal
span between two whorls.

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This is the top whorl and
this is the second whorl.

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And the smaller branches
in the internodal span

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are called internodal branches.

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This is the third whorl and this is

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a three-whorl tree.

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Now looking down below
we have the handle,

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the part that goes in
the Christmas tree stand.

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And the branches are
removed from that, of course.

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There isn't a great
deal that has to be done

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in a one-year-old
plantation.

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One of the things that
needs to be done, however,

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is to remove multiple leaders
and save just the best one

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on the basis of the strongest
and most upright one.

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I'm going to cut off the
unwanted leader and leaving

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the very best one to
make the future tree.

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Another thing that needs to be done

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is to keep grass and weeds controlled.

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And if there is a mortality,

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replace the dead tree
with a new seedling.

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I'm going to describe basal pruning.

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Basal pruning means removing
the branches and sprouts

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at the lower part of the
tree to form a handle.

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It also, it inhibits the future growth

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of the leader to
prevent excessive growth.

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Studies have been made
that if you basal prune,

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the following two years
will have a reduced

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leader growth of about 40 percent.

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It's very important to remove

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all of the branches
below the bottom whorl.

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Also, it's important
to pick a bottom whorl

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that's at least ten
inches above the ground

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to form an adequate handle
and stump length and have at

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least four branches that are
evenly spaced on the stem.

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As to the time to do it,

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it can be done any time of the year.

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But, on any one tree,

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a person wants to make sure
that they have two whorls,

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two good whorls, and at least
one foot of leader growth.

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That means that you don't
do all the work at one time

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in a field, you do a
tree when it's ready.

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A slow tree will have
to wait a year, maybe.

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I'm going to remove the branches
now below that good whorl.

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The most common tool for this is

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the hand-pruners that I'm using now.

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You need a good sharp tool
for this job to make clean

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cuts and you can hone that
blade every half-a-day or so.

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There we have a nice clean handle on it.

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It's about, actually about
11 inches above the ground.

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There should be at least eleven.

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There's one other thing
to do to this tree.

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Notice this one lower whorl branch is

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shorter than the others.

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I'm going to just tip
off the buds on these

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fast growers so it'll even
up the growth a little bit.

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Now it's all ready for
the next growing season.

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This noble fir has a multiple leader.

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A basic rule is that a tree has to have

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a single leader every year;

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and if you have two of them,
you remove the poorest one.

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The time to do this job is normally

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right along with the shearing operation.

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I'm going to cut off this poorest one,

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discard it,

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and this leaves the best one to absorb

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all the energy for future growth.

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The first decision
that a noble fir grower

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should make when
walking up to the tree is

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how long to leave the
leader; if it's too long,

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how much to shorten it.

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There's a good rule of thumb on

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that subject and it's this:

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if your tree is under 5 feet
tall, you can leave the leader

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12-18 inches long and the
upper range is perfectly safe,

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provided the leader is well-budded.

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For trees above 5 feet tall,

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there's a different rule of thumb.

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One wants to keep the
distance between whorls

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approximately 12 inches a year.

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The purpose of shortening
a taller tree is to improve

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the density and to
prevent an excessive span

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between the top whorl and
the second  whorl down,

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which is often called the gooseneck.

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In this case, we have
two possible leaders.

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These were formed by cutting
off the leader last year,

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leaving this as the false whorl.

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Notice that this one is crooked
and this one is straight.

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For that reason I'm going to pick this

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for the leader and cut off
the unwanted crooked one.

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I'm also going to tie the
leader against the stub

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so that it is perfectly upright.

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Notice that all of the
false whorl branches are

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about equal length except
one, which is excessively long.

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I'm going to cut that off
to restore the proportion.

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Remember we want to
make a cone-shaped prong.

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The last step is to go around
the tree and lightly shear

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any branches that project
beyond the cone shape.

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In this case we don't have
very much heavy work to do.

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Now the tree is all ready
for next growing season.

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Another important decision
for noble fir growers,

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is whether or not to
shorten the top whorl.

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There's a good rule on this.

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If the top whorl does not project beyond

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the natural cone shape of
the tree, do not cut it back.

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The reason for that is
that the terminal bud

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on the top whorl branch
contains a bud set that

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will form an attractive
noble fan like this next year.

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This improves the beauty and
density of the Christmas tree.

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There are two methods of side shearing.

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One way is to take your
finger and break off the tip

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of the branch at the
proper length, like this.

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The other, and more common method,

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is to shear it with a shearing knife,

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cutting just the tips of the branches

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that project beyond
the natural cone shape.

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Notice that I am not
cutting the noble fan,

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I am just cutting the tips
of the longest branches.

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Now the tree is nice
cone shaped and ready

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for next growing season.

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This also prevents over-width.

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It keeps the tree sufficiently
narrow to be about a

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two-thirds taper, which
is ideal for the market.

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One of the most important culture jobs

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after the fourth or fifth
growing season is shortening

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excessively long
leaders to proper length.

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By holding my knife up here,

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I see that this leader
is about 22 inches long,

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which is excessive.

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In order to shorten this leader,

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I select a group of buds on the leader.

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And then I find a lone bud
right above that cluster.

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This job must be done during
the late succulent season

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about mid-July on to
maybe the tenth of August.

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I'm going to make the
cut above the lone bud

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about two inches to leave a stub.

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Another method of
shortening the leader is

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to make the cut directly
above the top bud, like this.

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The advantage of doing this is to get

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a more erect growth
than by leaving the stub.

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The Oregon State
University Extension Service

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made a study and determined that

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by cutting close to the bud
you get a more erect leader.

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Of course on this method
you don't get the stub

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to tie it up to if it's crooked.

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I suggest that a grower
try both methods and use

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the one that works best for him or her.

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Two kinds of buds are found on a leader.

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One kind is a large bud
with the needles on it.

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The other kind, called a bubble bud,

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is a small, smooth bud.

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If a person has a choice,

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it is better to use the bubble
bud to form a new leader.

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This is a successful
false whorl that's formed

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from a bud cluster
on last year's leader.

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This marks the point where the lone bud

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on last year's leader elongated
and formed a new leader.

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You can see that this was
originally too long so it,

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in return, was shortened again to form

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this false whorl for next year's growth.

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Another common problem
on a noble fir is a leader

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that doesn't grow upright.

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You can see this one leans toward me.

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This is caused when
we shortened the leader

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00:14:45,502 --> 00:14:48,206
last year and the top bud that

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formed the new leader didn't
spontaneously grow upright,

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which it does most of the
time but not all of the time.

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In this event, we're going to use

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a strip of plastic ribbon to tie
the leave upright against the stub,

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which was left for that purpose.

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There it's tied snugly
against the stub and now

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we have a nice, upright leader.

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There's another method of
straightening a leader, too,

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in case we do not have a stub here.

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I'm going to pretend this stub

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never existed by cutting it off.

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The Oregon Extension
Service made a study

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showing that if you make
the cut exactly above

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the bud without leaving a stub,

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it has a tendency to grow upright

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more easy than by leaving a stub.

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Even in that case,

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sometimes there's a lean to the leader,

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and then we have to use a
splice to straighten it up.

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I'm going to tie a splice on this tree

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to show you how that system works.

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First I tie the bottom of the stake.

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And then I get a piece
of ribbon and tie it

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in the middle portion right
snugly against the stake.

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And then the last one
will be right on the top.

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If we don't do that,

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the leader has a tendency to
bend outward from the stake.

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There, it's nice and straight.

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We don't want to take this
off for about six weeks because

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it takes that long for it to
become set in that position.

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00:16:51,541 --> 00:16:52,639
Remember that,

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leave it on at least six
weeks after you make the tie.

248
00:16:57,413 --> 00:16:59,666
One thing more that needs to be done

249
00:16:59,688 --> 00:17:04,792
with this tree to improve
its symmetry and narrow

250
00:17:04,832 --> 00:17:07,107
it's taper so it won't
be an overly wide tree.

251
00:17:07,121 --> 00:17:09,306
That is to cut back the tips

252
00:17:09,314 --> 00:17:12,344
of those projecting top whorl branches.

253
00:17:14,319 --> 00:17:16,584
You don't cut heavy, just the very tips.

254
00:17:16,608 --> 00:17:17,828
If you cut heavy,

255
00:17:17,851 --> 00:17:20,781
it has a stubby appearance
and part of the beauty

256
00:17:20,801 --> 00:17:24,233
of the noble is the natural
symmetry of the tree.

257
00:17:32,405 --> 00:17:34,368
Another method of controlling

258
00:17:34,385 --> 00:17:36,698
excessive leaders is leader scarring.

259
00:17:37,273 --> 00:17:39,708
This is done when you suspect that

260
00:17:39,719 --> 00:17:42,945
next year's leader is going
to grow excessively long.

261
00:17:42,962 --> 00:17:45,720
That is, longer that
about 18 inches long.

262
00:17:47,087 --> 00:17:51,767
The bark was skinned off
just above the top whorl.

263
00:17:53,319 --> 00:17:55,283
I'm going to skin the base of the leader

264
00:17:55,291 --> 00:18:00,548
like this on both sides, leaving a thin,

265
00:18:00,568 --> 00:18:03,797
light line of bark on
both sides of the cut.

266
00:18:12,579 --> 00:18:15,901
Here's a noble fir with
an aborted leader bud.

267
00:18:15,930 --> 00:18:20,949
It didn't make a leader last
year but it made a top whorl.

268
00:18:22,617 --> 00:18:25,889
What I'm going to do is
force a new leader bud

269
00:18:25,910 --> 00:18:29,176
right out of the center
here by cutting back

270
00:18:29,189 --> 00:18:32,169
half of the length of
the entire top whorl.

271
00:18:36,111 --> 00:18:39,640
Now the tree is really
too wide because the leader

272
00:18:39,665 --> 00:18:43,319
is gone and in order to
restore good proportion,

273
00:18:43,841 --> 00:18:50,208
I'm going to shear back
the sides to a cone shape.

274
00:18:53,476 --> 00:18:54,573
Now the tree is all ready

275
00:18:54,619 --> 00:18:58,651
for the growing season and
it'll resume a normal width.

276
00:19:02,325 --> 00:19:06,333
This shows the result of
cutting back the top whorl

277
00:19:07,178 --> 00:19:10,984
to form a new leader bud.

278
00:19:12,552 --> 00:19:15,836
Sometimes only a single
bud will form and sometimes

279
00:19:15,870 --> 00:19:18,845
there will be three or
four like in this example.

280
00:19:20,140 --> 00:19:23,974
The thing to do is to select
the very best one which is

281
00:19:24,000 --> 00:19:27,585
this tallest one here and
then cut back all of the others

282
00:19:27,614 --> 00:19:30,629
to put all of the energy
into the one we saved.

283
00:19:42,503 --> 00:19:47,055
Here's another method of
restoring a lost leader.

284
00:19:48,602 --> 00:19:52,200
Instead of the ways we described before,

285
00:19:52,221 --> 00:19:54,166
I'm going to get two opposite

286
00:19:54,187 --> 00:19:57,007
branches and bend them together.

287
00:19:58,664 --> 00:20:02,674
I'm making sure that the
tips of those branches have

288
00:20:02,728 --> 00:20:04,490
five buds like a real leader.

289
00:20:05,893 --> 00:20:07,782
We tie them together at the base.

290
00:20:10,193 --> 00:20:13,021
It's very important that
when we tie them together

291
00:20:13,059 --> 00:20:16,817
at the base that we tie
them together at the top,

292
00:20:16,864 --> 00:20:20,438
but we want to make sure
that there's five buds

293
00:20:20,447 --> 00:20:22,305
on at least one of
these branches we turn up

294
00:20:22,344 --> 00:20:25,880
so that it will make a good
complete whorl next year.

295
00:20:27,175 --> 00:20:29,922
If we only had three or four we'd cut

296
00:20:29,958 --> 00:20:32,715
the entire thing off and
force a new bud to come up

297
00:20:32,736 --> 00:20:35,237
the center like we demonstrated before.

298
00:20:36,051 --> 00:20:39,410
Also, we want to cut the
rest of the branches back

299
00:20:39,452 --> 00:20:42,685
to about two-thirds the
length of the leader.

300
00:20:43,497 --> 00:20:47,790
After about six weeks it's
safe to come back and cut

301
00:20:47,829 --> 00:20:50,884
off the flagging and the
unwanted of the two leaders.

302
00:20:58,963 --> 00:21:00,942
Now we're going to talk about lammas

303
00:21:00,977 --> 00:21:02,811
growth and what to do about it.

304
00:21:03,709 --> 00:21:07,982
Lammas growth is summer regrowth that

305
00:21:08,026 --> 00:21:10,323
occurs usually following a rainy period.

306
00:21:11,880 --> 00:21:14,474
As long as that
regrowth comes out evenly

307
00:21:14,482 --> 00:21:19,333
on the top bud like that,
forming a star shape,

308
00:21:19,366 --> 00:21:21,319
it's perfectly alright
to leave it alone.

309
00:21:21,326 --> 00:21:23,438
In fact, it will add to
the beauty of the tree.

310
00:21:23,495 --> 00:21:25,701
So I'm just going to walk away from

311
00:21:25,734 --> 00:21:27,354
this tree and let it grow some more.

312
00:21:28,791 --> 00:21:33,511
Here's another example
of lammas growth that

313
00:21:33,524 --> 00:21:35,769
does need some corrective action.

314
00:21:37,008 --> 00:21:40,305
The reason it needs
correction is that the terminal

315
00:21:40,360 --> 00:21:44,962
buds that formed lammas
growth didn't come out evenly.

316
00:21:45,309 --> 00:21:47,613
We have 4 buds that are much longer than

317
00:21:47,618 --> 00:21:49,724
the other buds which are still closed.

318
00:21:50,148 --> 00:21:52,651
And the way to correct that is to cut

319
00:21:52,665 --> 00:21:56,828
the elongated lammas
growth just above a bud.

320
00:22:00,442 --> 00:22:02,649
There, it's all ready now
for the growing season.

321
00:22:12,070 --> 00:22:14,475
Here's a tree with
some obvious problems.

322
00:22:15,883 --> 00:22:20,024
It's five to six this year
and we'd like to get it

323
00:22:20,028 --> 00:22:23,710
set up to make a six to seven
harvestable tree next year.

324
00:22:25,194 --> 00:22:27,870
The first thing I
notice is that the tree

325
00:22:27,885 --> 00:22:30,393
doesn't have a straight top.

326
00:22:30,894 --> 00:22:34,857
This tree lacks a straight top,

327
00:22:34,865 --> 00:22:37,988
but it has a handy stub to
tie this one straight to.

328
00:22:38,495 --> 00:22:41,079
I'm going to tie it
in erect position with

329
00:22:41,085 --> 00:22:48,210
this plastic tape and this
takes care of the leader.

330
00:22:49,237 --> 00:22:52,667
Here's a sucker limb that needs to be

331
00:22:52,670 --> 00:22:54,915
trimmed back to out-pointing branches.

332
00:22:58,213 --> 00:23:01,513
Another thing I see wrong
with the tree is it has a big,

333
00:23:01,527 --> 00:23:03,470
ugly in-pointer in here.

334
00:23:04,406 --> 00:23:07,417
That's a branch that points
toward the center of the stem.

335
00:23:07,422 --> 00:23:09,271
I'm going to remove that entirely.

336
00:23:11,494 --> 00:23:13,693
Now the tree is ready for shearing.

337
00:23:40,162 --> 00:23:42,704
Here's a premium quality noble fir

338
00:23:43,314 --> 00:23:44,905
ready to go to market this year.

339
00:23:45,965 --> 00:23:47,991
In order to bring out
the very best of it,

340
00:23:48,916 --> 00:23:51,953
we'd want to do some
leader pruning to make good

341
00:23:51,959 --> 00:23:54,765
proportions; we'll
cut it off right here.

342
00:23:55,241 --> 00:23:58,391
And lightly side-shear
it to make it cone-shaped.

343
00:23:58,759 --> 00:24:01,262
I'm going to work around
the tree just tipping off

344
00:24:01,267 --> 00:24:08,166
the longest branches until
it's perfectly symmetric.

345
00:24:11,023 --> 00:24:13,099
A lot of people over-shear a noble fir.

346
00:24:13,109 --> 00:24:15,290
Actually it should be
sheared very lightly.

347
00:24:16,484 --> 00:24:19,098
Now it's all ready for the market.

348
00:24:27,031 --> 00:24:29,937
Here's a tree that we'd
like to market this year.

349
00:24:30,513 --> 00:24:34,477
But, it has enough obvious
defects on it that it wouldn't

350
00:24:35,354 --> 00:24:39,661
be marketable without doing
some culture work on it.

351
00:24:40,130 --> 00:24:43,757
We're going to do several
things we've already

352
00:24:43,763 --> 00:24:46,673
talked about to make this
tree a number one tree.

353
00:24:47,261 --> 00:24:49,876
First of all, let's consider the leader.

354
00:24:51,378 --> 00:24:52,429
The tree lacks a leader,

355
00:24:52,439 --> 00:24:55,708
so we'll have to tie one
of these top branches firmly

356
00:24:55,716 --> 00:24:58,913
against the stub to
reconstitute the leader.

357
00:24:59,496 --> 00:25:01,851
There's two possibilities here.

358
00:25:01,856 --> 00:25:04,800
Here's a crooked on that's
long and I don't like

359
00:25:04,806 --> 00:25:05,795
the looks of that.

360
00:25:05,800 --> 00:25:07,946
But right below it is
a nice straight one.

361
00:25:09,249 --> 00:25:10,883
I'm going to cut off the crooked one,

362
00:25:12,616 --> 00:25:17,808
and tie the good branch tightly against

363
00:25:17,823 --> 00:25:20,557
the stub here in an upright position.

364
00:25:23,385 --> 00:25:26,723
I'm going to proportion the rest

365
00:25:26,728 --> 00:25:29,403
of the whorl branches on the top.

366
00:25:30,892 --> 00:25:32,829
Another defect that strikes me is

367
00:25:32,836 --> 00:25:35,969
this branch is long and ungainly.

368
00:25:36,521 --> 00:25:39,356
So, let's cut that back.

369
00:25:44,292 --> 00:25:46,343
Now we're ready to shear the tree

370
00:25:46,350 --> 00:25:49,164
to make a perfect cone-shape.

371
00:25:49,168 --> 00:25:53,062
One good thing about the final shearing

372
00:25:53,066 --> 00:25:54,901
before market is you don't
have to pay any attention

373
00:25:54,908 --> 00:25:58,997
to buds because there's
no more growing time.

374
00:25:59,001 --> 00:26:00,665
We just want to make the tree look good.

375
00:26:00,674 --> 00:26:03,910
Some people call this a
cosmetic shearing because

376
00:26:03,914 --> 00:26:08,553
you're strictly working on
appearance for the market.

377
00:26:12,793 --> 00:26:15,468
That's it, looks pretty good.

378
00:26:21,998 --> 00:26:26,117
Well, here's an eight-year-old
ground fir or noble fir

379
00:26:26,799 --> 00:26:29,693
that we'd like to harvest this year.

380
00:26:30,905 --> 00:26:33,984
But the problem is it
has a bent leader on top,

381
00:26:34,844 --> 00:26:36,846
it has a top-heavy limb structure,

382
00:26:36,849 --> 00:26:38,571
and it's a little bit lopsided.

383
00:26:40,033 --> 00:26:41,998
I'm going to go over some
of the tricks of the trade to

384
00:26:42,010 --> 00:26:45,668
make this tree marketable as
a number one tree this year.

385
00:26:47,116 --> 00:26:49,522
The first thing I'm going to do is

386
00:26:49,527 --> 00:26:51,557
remove this bent top completely.

387
00:26:53,860 --> 00:26:58,047
Then I'll tie up a new leader

388
00:26:58,062 --> 00:27:00,676
from a straight limb just below it.

389
00:27:06,575 --> 00:27:09,620
Now that leader looks a lot
better the one we got rid of.

390
00:27:12,191 --> 00:27:14,752
And, I'm going to cut the tips

391
00:27:14,756 --> 00:27:19,434
of these limbs off so it
makes a nice conical top.

392
00:27:20,939 --> 00:27:23,864
The next thing to do is
to remove these tips from

393
00:27:23,868 --> 00:27:28,262
the heavy branches to get
rid of that top-heavy look.

394
00:27:36,235 --> 00:27:37,722
There, that looks a lot better now.

395
00:27:38,469 --> 00:27:42,444
The last thing I'm
going to do is to shear

396
00:27:42,452 --> 00:27:45,501
that tree to give it a cone shape.

397
00:27:46,016 --> 00:27:48,617
During the year of harvest,
we don't have to worry about

398
00:27:48,621 --> 00:27:51,702
bud possession because the
tree has no more growing years.

399
00:27:52,266 --> 00:27:54,517
It's just a matter of
doing a cosmetic job

400
00:27:54,523 --> 00:27:55,889
that makes it look good.

401
00:28:11,313 --> 00:28:12,829
That's it, it looks a whole lot better

402
00:28:12,837 --> 00:28:14,793
now and I think it'll
go to market this year.

403
00:28:28,260 --> 00:28:30,890
New Speaker: Douglas fir
is a major Christmas tree

404
00:28:30,900 --> 00:28:32,750
species in the United States today.

405
00:28:33,387 --> 00:28:38,304
Increased competition means the
production of trees is critical.

406
00:28:38,915 --> 00:28:41,360
And getting that high quality depends

407
00:28:41,364 --> 00:28:43,486
on skillful and timely shearing.

408
00:28:44,988 --> 00:28:45,968
In this segment,

409
00:28:45,976 --> 00:28:47,282
we're going to be looking at the yearly

410
00:28:47,300 --> 00:28:50,009
cultural activities involved
with shearing Douglas Fir.

411
00:28:50,400 --> 00:28:53,669
We're also going to be
suggesting some ideas to help

412
00:28:53,686 --> 00:28:56,171
growers avoid some of
the common mistakes.

413
00:28:57,325 --> 00:28:59,654
In this segment we're going
to be using knife shearing.

414
00:29:00,227 --> 00:29:01,865
But, whether you're using knife shearing

415
00:29:01,871 --> 00:29:04,192
or mechanical shearing devices,

416
00:29:04,196 --> 00:29:07,182
the important principles and
points are still the same.

417
00:29:08,990 --> 00:29:12,777
John Tillman is a tree grower, retailer,

418
00:29:12,784 --> 00:29:15,524
a shearing contractor for many years,

419
00:29:15,528 --> 00:29:18,494
and a consultant regarding
Christmas tree production.

420
00:29:23,237 --> 00:29:24,945
New Speaker: Base pruning is removing

421
00:29:24,950 --> 00:29:27,465
the bottom branches from
the tree so that the tree

422
00:29:27,469 --> 00:29:29,583
has an adequate handle to
fit into the tree stand.

423
00:29:30,720 --> 00:29:32,038
It is important to do this before

424
00:29:32,053 --> 00:29:33,514
we begin the initial shearing.

425
00:29:33,518 --> 00:29:36,828
Generally the tree will
be base pruned about

426
00:29:36,833 --> 00:29:39,745
same year that you start
your initial shearing.

427
00:29:40,537 --> 00:29:42,424
You never want to remove over a third

428
00:29:42,443 --> 00:29:45,705
of the tree's growth or we may
stunt the tree dramatically.

429
00:29:46,580 --> 00:29:48,984
We begin by cutting off
some of the major branches

430
00:29:50,070 --> 00:29:51,572
at the very bottom of the tree.

431
00:29:52,837 --> 00:29:55,183
I always try to cut these branches

432
00:29:55,195 --> 00:29:59,320
as flush as possible
to not leave any nubs.

433
00:29:59,606 --> 00:30:00,838
I use the flat side of the clippers

434
00:30:00,850 --> 00:30:03,355
in comparison to the
side with the bulge on it.

435
00:30:06,989 --> 00:30:09,585
I want the handle to go
up at least the height

436
00:30:09,589 --> 00:30:11,925
of the clippers plus two inches.

437
00:30:13,303 --> 00:30:16,350
We're allowing the two
inches for the stump

438
00:30:16,361 --> 00:30:18,339
of the tree when it is cut for harvest.

439
00:30:22,849 --> 00:30:25,035
This is the height of the
clippers plus two inches.

440
00:30:25,039 --> 00:30:26,402
This would be an adequate handle.

441
00:30:26,877 --> 00:30:29,977
Another purpose this serves
is that it leaves only material

442
00:30:29,981 --> 00:30:32,503
that will be sent to market
before we shear the tree.

443
00:30:33,246 --> 00:30:34,858
We'll always try to clear
the branches out of the way

444
00:30:34,864 --> 00:30:36,754
so that we can see
we've done a good job.

445
00:30:42,278 --> 00:30:45,121
This is a field of Douglas
fir Christmas trees.

446
00:30:45,653 --> 00:30:48,176
These trees have been
base pruned and have

447
00:30:48,189 --> 00:30:49,246
never been side-sheared.

448
00:30:49,253 --> 00:30:52,476
There are three reasons to initially
side-shear a Christmas tree.

449
00:30:53,158 --> 00:30:55,001
The tree is either too
wide for its height,

450
00:30:55,005 --> 00:30:56,434
too tall for its width,

451
00:30:56,438 --> 00:30:59,790
or we want to start to begin
to create density in the tree.

452
00:31:00,257 --> 00:31:02,382
This particular tree
would not need to be

453
00:31:02,387 --> 00:31:04,685
side-sheared because it is
not too wide for its height,

454
00:31:04,692 --> 00:31:05,883
nor too tall for its width.

455
00:31:06,470 --> 00:31:08,993
Thus it would be unnecessary
to shear this particular tree.

456
00:31:12,721 --> 00:31:14,225
One of the types of
trees that we'll find

457
00:31:14,230 --> 00:31:16,043
for our initial shearing is a tree

458
00:31:16,047 --> 00:31:18,814
that its base is too
wide for its height.

459
00:31:19,343 --> 00:31:21,163
So, we'll need to shear mainly

460
00:31:21,168 --> 00:31:22,505
toward the base of this tree.

461
00:31:23,417 --> 00:31:24,891
As we begin to shear the tree,

462
00:31:24,899 --> 00:31:28,186
I'll be concentrating
mainly on keeping the base

463
00:31:28,198 --> 00:31:34,695
of the tree suppressed
slightly as to ensure that

464
00:31:34,719 --> 00:31:38,415
next year's growth will be
both uniform and proportional.

465
00:31:40,010 --> 00:31:41,552
As we notice after I shear the tree,

466
00:31:41,832 --> 00:31:45,398
that now this top is
too long in comparison

467
00:31:45,404 --> 00:31:46,542
to the width of the base.

468
00:31:47,068 --> 00:31:48,196
We will need to bud,

469
00:31:48,202 --> 00:31:51,447
or remove the terminal
bud, as I call it.

470
00:31:52,026 --> 00:31:54,009
I find the bud that
will be in proportion

471
00:31:54,021 --> 00:31:56,739
to the width of the tree and cut to it.

472
00:31:58,342 --> 00:32:00,549
Right next door we find another tree

473
00:32:00,561 --> 00:32:03,286
that's base is too wide in
comparison to its height.

474
00:32:03,961 --> 00:32:05,730
The difference being
that this top is not

475
00:32:05,737 --> 00:32:08,328
too long in comparison to the base.

476
00:32:08,336 --> 00:32:10,431
We'll want to leave this top unbudded

477
00:32:10,437 --> 00:32:13,605
which will mean that we'll
leave the terminal bud intact.

478
00:32:14,210 --> 00:32:16,716
Again the thing we'll
concentrate on is bringing

479
00:32:16,720 --> 00:32:19,059
the base of the tree
in so the following year

480
00:32:19,063 --> 00:32:23,780
when this tree grows it
will not be excessively wide.

481
00:32:29,155 --> 00:32:30,438
By shearing toward
the bottom of the tree,

482
00:32:30,445 --> 00:32:32,588
we'll be suppressing
the growth in that area

483
00:32:35,317 --> 00:32:38,779
and by leaving this unbudded,
when the tree regrows,

484
00:32:40,292 --> 00:32:41,949
the base will not regrow as much as

485
00:32:41,955 --> 00:32:45,370
the top and the upper part
of the tree so we'll be moving

486
00:32:45,375 --> 00:32:50,658
the tree in this manner
towards a more marketable taper.

487
00:33:01,567 --> 00:33:05,743
Another type of tree that we'll
find for it's initial shearing

488
00:33:05,749 --> 00:33:08,432
is one that's too tall in
comparison to its width.

489
00:33:09,051 --> 00:33:10,732
We'll concentrate mainly on shearing

490
00:33:10,736 --> 00:33:11,978
the upper part of this tree,

491
00:33:12,569 --> 00:33:15,859
cutting the top, and not
taking the base in very much.

492
00:33:15,863 --> 00:33:17,842
Thus, next year the taper of this tree

493
00:33:17,847 --> 00:33:22,050
will gain in the base and
not very much in the top.

494
00:33:22,673 --> 00:33:24,718
The first thing that we'll do is remove

495
00:33:24,723 --> 00:33:26,341
the defective branches.

496
00:33:29,403 --> 00:33:32,256
I will always remove the defective

497
00:33:32,266 --> 00:33:34,478
branches from their origin,

498
00:33:35,153 --> 00:33:39,660
cutting them flush and
removing any in-pointers that

499
00:33:39,664 --> 00:33:41,709
we may find coming
off directly behind it.

500
00:33:42,291 --> 00:33:44,161
If we leave these suckers to grow,

501
00:33:44,172 --> 00:33:45,709
they will impede the growth

502
00:33:45,712 --> 00:33:48,338
of the branches coming
out naturally behind them.

503
00:33:50,061 --> 00:33:51,938
Now, I will cut the leader.

504
00:33:52,494 --> 00:33:54,339
To get it out of the
way of my side-swing.

505
00:33:57,769 --> 00:34:01,561
As I begin to shear this tree,
I'll be concentrating mainly

506
00:34:01,565 --> 00:34:04,058
on the upper parts of the
tree and mainly in the crown.

507
00:34:06,051 --> 00:34:09,078
By bringing the crown in
and loosening up on the base,

508
00:34:10,853 --> 00:34:14,490
the bottom of the tree
will become wider and thus

509
00:34:14,494 --> 00:34:18,478
have a more desirable
taper to the tree next year.

510
00:34:19,297 --> 00:34:22,613
By shortening up on the
top and the crown area,

511
00:34:22,617 --> 00:34:25,706
we'll suppress this
area so that the base

512
00:34:25,710 --> 00:34:27,208
has the time to catch up.

513
00:34:27,845 --> 00:34:30,971
I will find a single bud on the top

514
00:34:30,981 --> 00:34:33,600
of the tree, I will
cut directly above it

515
00:34:33,606 --> 00:34:37,634
with the angle of the top
cut away from the bud itself.

516
00:34:38,146 --> 00:34:41,066
I do this so that I have
a single top next year.

517
00:34:41,631 --> 00:34:46,133
If I cut two or three buds
together, I'll get two or three

518
00:34:46,139 --> 00:34:48,802
tops, none of which are very desirable.

519
00:34:49,313 --> 00:34:50,924
I try to make sure there are no buds

520
00:34:50,927 --> 00:34:53,685
within an inch of the bud that I cut at.

521
00:34:54,796 --> 00:34:57,637
That way these should come
out as laterals and this

522
00:34:57,643 --> 00:34:59,100
should come up as my leader.

523
00:35:03,836 --> 00:35:05,285
Another reason for
shearing a Christmas tree

524
00:35:06,007 --> 00:35:08,631
is just to begin to
develop density in the tree.

525
00:35:09,048 --> 00:35:10,633
As we can see with this particular tree,

526
00:35:11,952 --> 00:35:14,242
the base and the top
are somewhat uniform

527
00:35:14,951 --> 00:35:16,499
but we're faced with excessive growth.

528
00:35:16,506 --> 00:35:19,152
We need to trim this growth
back to begin to instigate the

529
00:35:19,162 --> 00:35:22,151
density that will be desirable
toward a marketable tree.

530
00:35:23,607 --> 00:35:26,178
The first thing that I will
do is to remove the defective

531
00:35:26,183 --> 00:35:29,339
branch, or multiple coming
off the stock of the tree.

532
00:35:30,561 --> 00:35:32,555
I remove these first,
before I shear the tree,

533
00:35:32,563 --> 00:35:35,269
so that it will not affect
how the tree is sheared.

534
00:35:36,273 --> 00:35:37,834
It needs to be removed so that

535
00:35:37,838 --> 00:35:39,857
it does not compete with the leader.

536
00:35:41,173 --> 00:35:43,543
And when I'm just trying
to instigate taper,

537
00:35:44,293 --> 00:35:46,101
again I'm cutting everything

538
00:35:46,109 --> 00:35:51,079
uniformly and evenly
around the tree itself,

539
00:35:52,220 --> 00:35:54,353
concentrating on keeping my base

540
00:35:55,244 --> 00:35:58,886
somewhat narrow as to not
cause the tree to become

541
00:35:58,894 --> 00:36:00,956
excessively wide in its first year.

542
00:36:01,560 --> 00:36:03,453
I want all of the crown to be

543
00:36:03,459 --> 00:36:07,752
uniform and even and
directly centered on the top.

544
00:36:07,752 --> 00:36:09,299
I cut the top in proportion.

545
00:36:10,232 --> 00:36:11,399
If I have two buds,

546
00:36:12,167 --> 00:36:15,455
I will pick off one of the buds so that

547
00:36:15,459 --> 00:36:19,209
I'm left with a single
bud above at least an inch

548
00:36:19,230 --> 00:36:21,107
above any of the
remaining buds on the top.

549
00:36:21,638 --> 00:36:24,726
The top is always cut in
proportion with the tree.

550
00:36:37,408 --> 00:36:38,608
I would like to talk a little bit about

551
00:36:38,618 --> 00:36:40,526
the shearing swing at this point.

552
00:36:40,533 --> 00:36:44,058
The most common swing
that I have found is most

553
00:36:44,066 --> 00:36:47,007
efficient for the proper
taper is the side swing.

554
00:36:47,011 --> 00:36:50,463
It starts somewhere above
the right side of my head,

555
00:36:50,466 --> 00:36:52,483
farthest point being toward the center,

556
00:36:52,488 --> 00:36:54,408
and comes down past my right leg.

557
00:36:55,198 --> 00:36:58,251
One of the most common
problems that I have found in

558
00:36:58,263 --> 00:37:01,577
working with people on a
shearing swing is they'll start

559
00:37:01,592 --> 00:37:04,571
across their left shoulder
and come across in this manner,

560
00:37:05,066 --> 00:37:07,845
causing the tree to be excessively wide

561
00:37:07,849 --> 00:37:09,785
in the base and tight in the crown.

562
00:37:10,668 --> 00:37:11,977
So, I'll go ahead and demonstrate

563
00:37:11,983 --> 00:37:14,020
the side swing at this point.

564
00:37:15,328 --> 00:37:16,693
One of the things that I find that I do

565
00:37:16,701 --> 00:37:22,976
that is pretty common is that I'll tilt

566
00:37:22,982 --> 00:37:25,851
my nose at the exact
angle that I want the swing

567
00:37:25,856 --> 00:37:30,204
to be and the knife will
follow in that angle.

568
00:37:31,203 --> 00:37:34,119
The knife will come down past my leg.

569
00:37:39,077 --> 00:37:42,443
I also try to take small steps.

570
00:37:42,447 --> 00:37:45,483
Another common problem is
people taking too big of steps.

571
00:37:45,487 --> 00:37:48,251
If you take a large
step, you'll leave real

572
00:37:48,257 --> 00:37:52,955
ratty bases and end up many times

573
00:37:52,961 --> 00:37:54,918
having to go around your
tree two or three times

574
00:37:54,923 --> 00:38:00,862
in an effort to get the
tree to be uniform and even.

575
00:38:01,870 --> 00:38:04,398
I'll take whatever amount of swings

576
00:38:04,404 --> 00:38:06,171
it takes to get the tree properly.

577
00:38:06,176 --> 00:38:09,680
Remember the most important
keys to a good swing are

578
00:38:09,688 --> 00:38:12,789
starting above your right
shoulder and ending up past your

579
00:38:12,800 --> 00:38:16,432
right leg, not to come
across the tree in this manner

580
00:38:16,437 --> 00:38:19,556
because we'll end up with
excessively wide bases.

581
00:38:27,338 --> 00:38:29,095
The first thing I do when I approach

582
00:38:29,099 --> 00:38:30,854
the tree is identify my leader.

583
00:38:30,859 --> 00:38:33,123
This is important so that while I shear

584
00:38:33,134 --> 00:38:35,334
the tree I know what
I'm shearing around.

585
00:38:35,734 --> 00:38:37,264
As we can see, this particular tree has

586
00:38:37,269 --> 00:38:40,263
three different tops; this was caused by

587
00:38:40,269 --> 00:38:42,334
cutting in a group of three
buds the previous year.

588
00:38:42,811 --> 00:38:45,847
We can help eliminate this
by singling out isolated

589
00:38:45,862 --> 00:38:48,698
buds each and every time
we cut the particular top.

590
00:38:50,100 --> 00:38:53,898
I need to choose one of
these tops and what will

591
00:38:53,906 --> 00:38:55,819
dictate which one I
choose is the bud structure

592
00:38:55,825 --> 00:38:57,983
on the individual leaders themselves.

593
00:38:58,451 --> 00:39:02,655
Any gaps in buds will be a
gap in branches next year.

594
00:39:03,115 --> 00:39:05,012
I also want the top that's closest

595
00:39:05,016 --> 00:39:07,163
to the very center of the tree.

596
00:39:07,785 --> 00:39:08,872
As I can see,

597
00:39:08,881 --> 00:39:14,031
this top here, this
leader, has the best bud

598
00:39:14,036 --> 00:39:15,752
structure on it because it has buds

599
00:39:15,758 --> 00:39:18,164
that go all the way
down to the base of it.

600
00:39:18,653 --> 00:39:23,028
I will remove the other two
tops by cutting them flush.

601
00:39:23,749 --> 00:39:25,945
Now I have identified my leader.

602
00:39:25,950 --> 00:39:29,167
The second thing that
I'll do on this tree

603
00:39:29,167 --> 00:39:30,904
is remove the defective branches.

604
00:39:31,475 --> 00:39:33,703
These two branches here
are called in-pointers

605
00:39:33,707 --> 00:39:36,651
they are branches that do not
come straight off the stock itself.

606
00:39:37,104 --> 00:39:43,574
We'll cut those flush at the
point of origin and remove

607
00:39:43,579 --> 00:39:46,248
those before we shear the tree.

608
00:39:46,704 --> 00:39:48,730
Anymore of those that I
see while I'm shearing,

609
00:39:48,736 --> 00:39:50,355
I'll remove at the same time.

610
00:39:50,891 --> 00:39:54,625
I will begin to shear my
tree and make an assessment

611
00:39:54,659 --> 00:39:57,541
of is the tree marketable at this point.

612
00:39:57,960 --> 00:39:59,726
If I know that I'm trying to sell

613
00:39:59,735 --> 00:40:01,269
a four- or
five-foot Douglas,

614
00:40:02,153 --> 00:40:04,669
then I'll need to do some
things slightly different.

615
00:40:05,279 --> 00:40:08,650
But I know that this tree is
not going to sell this year.

616
00:40:09,112 --> 00:40:11,681
I want to keep my base
in slightly, about a

617
00:40:11,692 --> 00:40:16,173
50 percent taper, which
means that the base is

618
00:40:16,180 --> 00:40:18,933
50 percent of the height of the tree;

619
00:40:19,402 --> 00:40:21,418
the width of the base being 50 percent

620
00:40:21,429 --> 00:40:22,428
of the height of the tree.

621
00:40:22,438 --> 00:40:24,705
This way, in the year of harvest,

622
00:40:24,711 --> 00:40:26,203
I'll be able to bring the tree out

623
00:40:26,213 --> 00:40:28,221
to about a 60 percent taper.

624
00:40:29,776 --> 00:40:31,651
I want to cut my top in proportion,

625
00:40:31,658 --> 00:40:35,150
with everything on this
tree leading to the top.

626
00:40:35,561 --> 00:40:38,943
I cut at a single bud so
that we can help eliminate

627
00:40:38,954 --> 00:40:41,873
the amount of multiples
that we create each year.

628
00:40:41,877 --> 00:40:44,924
I cut the top at the angle
so that the pitch will

629
00:40:44,929 --> 00:40:47,641
flow away from the bud
that I have isolated.

630
00:40:48,196 --> 00:40:50,404
It also helps to seal the top.

631
00:40:50,417 --> 00:40:51,708
If I cut it flat,

632
00:40:51,722 --> 00:40:54,071
there are times when you
can get rot that will go

633
00:40:54,079 --> 00:40:55,768
down through the stem, through leader

634
00:40:55,772 --> 00:40:58,197
and kill off buds below it.

635
00:40:58,739 --> 00:41:00,284
By lowering the top,

636
00:41:00,291 --> 00:41:04,281
we will create density
in the tree where needed.

637
00:41:05,678 --> 00:41:08,041
I always polish the tree
after I'm done shearing,

638
00:41:08,047 --> 00:41:10,857
which means that any
branches that are a little bit

639
00:41:10,863 --> 00:41:13,878
out of line get cut off.

640
00:41:14,486 --> 00:41:17,578
One of the philosophies
that I have on creating

641
00:41:17,582 --> 00:41:20,093
a number one Christmas tree is to create

642
00:41:20,105 --> 00:41:23,256
the core of the tree first
at a four- to five-foot stage.

643
00:41:23,260 --> 00:41:25,856
What I mean by the core is that we have

644
00:41:25,861 --> 00:41:27,157
a dense tree at this stage.

645
00:41:27,170 --> 00:41:30,154
Thus, ensuring that we'll
have a marketable tree

646
00:41:30,166 --> 00:41:31,736
in the next two years.

647
00:41:31,746 --> 00:41:33,871
One of the mistakes that
I see many growers make

648
00:41:33,876 --> 00:41:35,658
is that by leaving long leaders,

649
00:41:35,662 --> 00:41:38,219
and not shearing properly
in the early years,

650
00:41:38,225 --> 00:41:41,216
you create a six- to
seven-foot tree and then

651
00:41:41,221 --> 00:41:43,183
start to shear it back creating density.

652
00:41:43,726 --> 00:41:44,968
I believe the tree should be worked

653
00:41:44,976 --> 00:41:47,519
from the inside out by
creating the proper thing

654
00:41:47,525 --> 00:41:50,033
at a small size and
working outwards with it,

655
00:41:50,041 --> 00:41:52,928
than to create the size
and then try to fill it in.

656
00:41:57,572 --> 00:41:59,448
Here we have a harvest-size tree.

657
00:41:59,460 --> 00:42:00,968
It has numerous problems.

658
00:42:01,468 --> 00:42:04,177
The first problem that I
see is the most apparent.

659
00:42:04,181 --> 00:42:07,333
The width of the tree is
far too wide in comparison

660
00:42:07,343 --> 00:42:09,635
to its height, or its percent of taper.

661
00:42:10,160 --> 00:42:11,735
The percent of taper on this tree

662
00:42:11,748 --> 00:42:13,469
is in excess of 90 percent.

663
00:42:13,980 --> 00:42:16,703
The second problem that
I see is that the tree

664
00:42:16,709 --> 00:42:19,980
did not create a distinct
center leader, or top.

665
00:42:21,685 --> 00:42:23,874
The third problem was
created by improper

666
00:42:23,878 --> 00:42:25,650
shearing techniques the previous year.

667
00:42:25,660 --> 00:42:28,076
The sides were sheared
somewhat straight,

668
00:42:28,090 --> 00:42:29,618
but the top was domed,

669
00:42:29,631 --> 00:42:32,155
which created this big
shoulder effect to it.

670
00:42:33,650 --> 00:42:35,859
Its important that I assess
the problems that I see

671
00:42:35,869 --> 00:42:37,747
on the tree in order to correct them.

672
00:42:37,763 --> 00:42:39,992
The tree is not sellable at this point,

673
00:42:39,996 --> 00:42:42,735
so what I do to the tree will hopefully

674
00:42:43,743 --> 00:42:46,211
make a better tree next
year so that the tree

675
00:42:46,215 --> 00:42:48,088
will have a higher market value.

676
00:42:48,093 --> 00:42:52,413
The first thing I want to do
is to always identify my top.

677
00:42:54,431 --> 00:42:56,850
I can't shear around the top uniformly

678
00:42:56,855 --> 00:42:59,142
if I don't know what the top is.

679
00:43:00,787 --> 00:43:02,684
I always want the top to
be as close to the center

680
00:43:02,687 --> 00:43:03,996
of the tree as possible.

681
00:43:04,001 --> 00:43:07,045
I double up my tape so that the top

682
00:43:07,052 --> 00:43:09,337
will not stretch and come out the side.

683
00:43:09,341 --> 00:43:11,422
As we can see, this top last year

684
00:43:11,441 --> 00:43:14,392
was not perfectly straight.

685
00:43:19,030 --> 00:43:23,771
I find a branch that's closest
to the center of the tree,

686
00:43:28,939 --> 00:43:32,354
and I'll tie it up before
I ever begin the shearing

687
00:43:32,358 --> 00:43:37,348
of the tree so that now I
have something to shear around.

688
00:43:38,430 --> 00:43:40,732
I'll remove this defective branch,

689
00:43:40,740 --> 00:43:44,168
which is a cross-pointer.

690
00:43:45,646 --> 00:43:47,095
Normally I wouldn't
want to leave anything

691
00:43:47,102 --> 00:43:50,840
that comes out above what
I'm using for the top.

692
00:43:51,432 --> 00:43:54,475
But in this case I will leave
this because to remove this

693
00:43:54,480 --> 00:43:56,670
would create more of a problem
than I would be eliminating.

694
00:43:56,676 --> 00:43:59,672
We need to gain as much
growth in this area as possible

695
00:43:59,679 --> 00:44:01,372
to help compensate for this shoulder.

696
00:44:01,890 --> 00:44:05,800
How I will correct some
of these problems and make

697
00:44:05,800 --> 00:44:08,027
the adjustments on this
tree is to bring my base

698
00:44:08,033 --> 00:44:10,298
in because in the last
growing season we gained

699
00:44:10,304 --> 00:44:12,022
in width but we didn't gain in height.

700
00:44:12,510 --> 00:44:13,864
So, we want to bring the base in.

701
00:44:13,869 --> 00:44:15,851
I want to try to eliminate the shoulder

702
00:44:15,863 --> 00:44:16,977
as much as practical.

703
00:44:16,989 --> 00:44:19,057
It's not as much as possible,

704
00:44:19,066 --> 00:44:21,450
but practical by
tightening up in this area

705
00:44:21,458 --> 00:44:27,785
of the tree and allowing the
growth up here to grow freely

706
00:44:27,791 --> 00:44:31,022
by not shearing too tightly
or creating another shoulder.

707
00:44:31,665 --> 00:44:34,310
We also want to leave the top
a little bit longer so that

708
00:44:34,315 --> 00:44:38,114
we can gain some height to
compensate for the excess taper.

709
00:44:38,118 --> 00:44:40,277
As I begin to shear the tree,

710
00:44:40,285 --> 00:44:44,273
again I will be concentrating
on making the proper

711
00:44:44,285 --> 00:44:46,531
adjustments to this tree
so that it will be a better

712
00:44:46,541 --> 00:44:48,947
tree the following year.

713
00:44:49,404 --> 00:44:51,146
I've determined that the tree

714
00:44:51,153 --> 00:44:52,522
will not be sellable this year.

715
00:44:53,475 --> 00:44:56,783
What I'm trying to
do is keep the base in

716
00:44:58,990 --> 00:45:01,152
so that I can change
the percent of taper

717
00:45:01,158 --> 00:45:09,150
let's say from an excess of
90 percent to maybe 70 percent.

718
00:45:09,715 --> 00:45:13,324
Although, that's not ideally
where you want to end up,

719
00:45:14,261 --> 00:45:17,615
it will make the tree at
least slightly higher value.

720
00:45:19,374 --> 00:45:22,827
I do that by suppressing the base.

721
00:45:22,839 --> 00:45:25,513
When I say suppressing the base,

722
00:45:25,520 --> 00:45:28,368
I mean I'm shearing the
base in slightly tighter.

723
00:45:29,919 --> 00:45:32,199
I want to try to remove
the shoulder of this tree

724
00:45:35,060 --> 00:45:37,903
by bringing the crown in slightly.

725
00:45:38,640 --> 00:45:44,207
Again, the corrections that
I've made on this tree to

726
00:45:44,217 --> 00:45:46,469
hopefully increase its marketing
value the following year,

727
00:45:46,483 --> 00:45:49,081
are to suppress the base and allow

728
00:45:49,093 --> 00:45:50,949
some growth in the top area.

729
00:45:50,959 --> 00:45:54,376
I left the top uncut so
that this terminal bud

730
00:45:54,386 --> 00:45:56,402
will be able to gain
the height that I need

731
00:45:56,407 --> 00:45:59,015
to help compensate for
its wide base already.

732
00:46:00,092 --> 00:46:03,345
I've left the sides of the
tree as straight as possible.

733
00:46:03,898 --> 00:46:05,778
I will have one hole over here;

734
00:46:05,786 --> 00:46:08,898
there are not enough
branches to fill in this hole.

735
00:46:08,902 --> 00:46:10,839
We do have some buds on
the backside of the top

736
00:46:10,850 --> 00:46:13,913
that I have created, which
may help fill that in.

737
00:46:15,132 --> 00:46:18,824
What I've tried to do with
this tree is to eliminate some

738
00:46:18,828 --> 00:46:20,829
of the problems that we had
when we first addressed it.

739
00:46:20,835 --> 00:46:22,888
If I sheared it the
same way that I found it,

740
00:46:22,899 --> 00:46:24,500
I'd just have a bad tree next year

741
00:46:24,506 --> 00:46:26,449
that was a little bit bigger.

742
00:46:26,449 --> 00:46:28,060
I'm always trying to adjust the trees

743
00:46:28,064 --> 00:46:30,489
so that it will be a better
tree after I've sheared it.

744
00:46:30,495 --> 00:46:33,346
By suppressing the base
and allowing in the top,

745
00:46:33,351 --> 00:46:37,249
our tree will actually move
and become more desirable.

746
00:46:39,066 --> 00:46:43,497
Straight sides, uniform
crown, single erect top,

747
00:46:43,508 --> 00:46:46,005
and medium density throughout the tree

748
00:46:46,017 --> 00:46:47,930
are some of the
characteristics that you'll find

749
00:46:47,936 --> 00:46:49,430
common in number one trees.

750
00:46:50,083 --> 00:46:52,316
This tree may never be a number one,

751
00:46:52,327 --> 00:46:54,387
but at least it will be better

752
00:46:54,392 --> 00:46:56,124
than when we first got to it.

753
00:46:58,599 --> 00:47:00,216
As I look at this tree,

754
00:47:00,220 --> 00:47:03,000
the first thing that
I notice is it has a

755
00:47:03,008 --> 00:47:06,392
good straight leader located
in the center of the tree.

756
00:47:06,901 --> 00:47:09,565
The taper of the tree is that the base

757
00:47:09,571 --> 00:47:12,746
is slightly narrow than
we'd like for its height.

758
00:47:14,680 --> 00:47:16,825
It does have good
characteristics that I like

759
00:47:16,831 --> 00:47:18,173
on the trees of this size.

760
00:47:18,636 --> 00:47:20,370
We've begun to create the density

761
00:47:20,384 --> 00:47:21,877
that we'll be looking for.

762
00:47:21,890 --> 00:47:24,240
I believe on working
a tree from inside out,

763
00:47:24,243 --> 00:47:28,177
which means that we
create density and then

764
00:47:28,177 --> 00:47:30,227
gain the height that
would make it harvestable,

765
00:47:30,231 --> 00:47:31,495
rather than to create the size

766
00:47:31,500 --> 00:47:33,804
that we're looking for
and then try to fill it in.

767
00:47:36,183 --> 00:47:38,509
Creating a tree at this
size that's in this condition

768
00:47:38,521 --> 00:47:42,287
will ensure us of a
higher percentage number

769
00:47:42,300 --> 00:47:45,295
of trees that will be
marketable at an earlier age.

770
00:47:45,307 --> 00:47:50,054
It will also appeal to more
buyers than a field of trees,

771
00:47:50,060 --> 00:47:52,363
consequently, that was
grown maybe differently

772
00:47:52,368 --> 00:47:55,055
that didn't look this good at this size.

773
00:47:55,521 --> 00:47:58,899
The very first thing that
I do is always identify

774
00:47:58,905 --> 00:48:01,471
my top and remove
anything else around it.

775
00:48:01,477 --> 00:48:04,455
I have a multiple top here
that I'm going to take out.

776
00:48:05,274 --> 00:48:08,772
After I remove the multiple,
I'll begin to shear my tree.

777
00:48:10,402 --> 00:48:11,797
What I'm looking for at this point

778
00:48:12,336 --> 00:48:15,235
To begin to widen the tree up,

779
00:48:19,015 --> 00:48:23,096
I'm going to be not cutting
as much towards the bottom

780
00:48:23,104 --> 00:48:29,212
of the tree and bringing my
top and crown in slightly.

781
00:48:33,060 --> 00:48:36,872
This tree may be harvestable
this following year.

782
00:48:39,975 --> 00:48:43,452
Identify a top bud and cut to it.

783
00:48:44,104 --> 00:48:46,082
Everything on this tree should be left

784
00:48:46,105 --> 00:48:49,934
in proportion so that
it flows to the leader.

785
00:48:49,954 --> 00:48:52,132
The crown should be uniform.

786
00:48:52,150 --> 00:48:54,249
I didn't leave the
leader in excess length

787
00:48:54,271 --> 00:48:56,547
so I should not create a gap there.

788
00:48:56,552 --> 00:48:59,148
At this point I also will be looking

789
00:48:59,171 --> 00:49:02,407
for defective branches,
known as in-pointers.

790
00:49:03,501 --> 00:49:05,995
As we can see on this one,
we have one coming through.

791
00:49:06,480 --> 00:49:08,284
The problem with these
is that after they get

792
00:49:08,302 --> 00:49:10,920
on the tree lot if these
branches are shaken out,

793
00:49:12,798 --> 00:49:15,688
it causes problems at a retail level.

794
00:49:15,720 --> 00:49:17,377
So we want to remove these.

795
00:49:17,396 --> 00:49:20,747
I try to get all the apparent
in-pointers each year;

796
00:49:21,278 --> 00:49:24,279
it's the best way that I
can have the least number

797
00:49:24,295 --> 00:49:25,543
of these left in a tree.

798
00:49:26,293 --> 00:49:28,769
The characteristics I'm
looking for in leaving this tree

799
00:49:28,780 --> 00:49:32,385
at this point is I'm looking
for about a 50 percent taper,

800
00:49:33,943 --> 00:49:36,011
the sides should be
uniform and symmetrical,

801
00:49:36,500 --> 00:49:38,890
the crown should be uniform,
leading to a straight,

802
00:49:38,911 --> 00:49:39,797
single top.

803
00:49:44,326 --> 00:49:48,955
This is a common problem
we find: is multiple tops.

804
00:49:49,639 --> 00:49:50,848
What I'll be looking for in deciding

805
00:49:50,869 --> 00:49:52,332
which of these tops to leave,

806
00:49:52,782 --> 00:49:54,392
will be something that comes directly

807
00:49:54,409 --> 00:49:55,292
from the center of the tree,

808
00:49:56,300 --> 00:49:57,505
something that is good and straight,

809
00:49:58,453 --> 00:49:59,897
and that has good bud structure on it.

810
00:50:00,586 --> 00:50:02,765
Sometimes I find this by removing things

811
00:50:02,783 --> 00:50:04,790
that I know will not make a good leader,

812
00:50:04,997 --> 00:50:06,287
such as some of the multiples.

813
00:50:07,419 --> 00:50:08,423
As I can see,

814
00:50:08,458 --> 00:50:10,936
this is the one that I've
made my decision to leave.

815
00:50:12,307 --> 00:50:15,384
By removing the tops that we know

816
00:50:15,411 --> 00:50:17,166
we won't want to leave in the tree,

817
00:50:17,595 --> 00:50:20,372
leaves us with the top
that we know we will leave.

818
00:50:20,812 --> 00:50:22,992
This is close to the
center, it is straight,

819
00:50:23,892 --> 00:50:25,857
and it has a good bud structure on it.

820
00:50:27,352 --> 00:50:29,900
On this individual tree, most
of the time we would want to

821
00:50:29,919 --> 00:50:32,337
remove something that is
coming up to this effect.

822
00:50:32,856 --> 00:50:35,634
But as we can see, if I do,
I'm going to create a big hole

823
00:50:35,655 --> 00:50:37,937
because there are no
branches coming out behind it.

824
00:50:39,037 --> 00:50:41,614
What dictates to me whether
I cut something out or not

825
00:50:41,634 --> 00:50:45,162
most of the time is what
I find directly behind it.

826
00:50:45,183 --> 00:50:49,039
If I had branches coming out
here that would provide cover,

827
00:50:49,071 --> 00:50:51,011
I would easily remove this multiple.

828
00:50:51,616 --> 00:50:53,086
But, because there is nothing behind it,

829
00:50:53,094 --> 00:50:54,088
I would create more of a problem

830
00:50:54,106 --> 00:50:56,644
than I'm eliminating so I
will try to bend these down

831
00:50:56,664 --> 00:50:59,807
slightly and shear around the top.

832
00:51:05,366 --> 00:51:07,144
After I've selected my leader,

833
00:51:08,106 --> 00:51:11,240
I'll be shearing around the top.

834
00:51:12,924 --> 00:51:15,182
It's very important
that I select the top

835
00:51:15,201 --> 00:51:20,162
before I shear the tree so that the top

836
00:51:20,182 --> 00:51:23,880
can be left directly in
the center and everything

837
00:51:23,888 --> 00:51:26,530
can be cut towards it.

838
00:51:36,316 --> 00:51:38,489
If I pick an improper top,

839
00:51:38,508 --> 00:51:42,822
the tree will not grow the
following year in a manner that

840
00:51:42,838 --> 00:51:46,454
will increase its value.

841
00:51:49,625 --> 00:51:51,224
By selecting the proper leader,

842
00:51:52,689 --> 00:51:57,288
and leaving these branches below it,

843
00:51:59,184 --> 00:52:00,878
I have a top that's now
centered in the tree,

844
00:52:00,903 --> 00:52:02,421
is cut in proportion,

845
00:52:03,566 --> 00:52:06,826
and will act as a good
leader for next year's growth.

846
00:52:08,126 --> 00:52:10,915
By using the techniques that
we've discussed here today,

847
00:52:11,571 --> 00:52:15,309
such as not leaving excessively
long leaders, wide bases,

848
00:52:15,331 --> 00:52:18,914
and trying to create the density
of the tree about the time

849
00:52:18,946 --> 00:52:21,779
the tree is five feet
tall, we can assure a higher

850
00:52:21,800 --> 00:52:24,522
percentage of number one
trees because we're not

851
00:52:24,559 --> 00:52:26,914
creating problems and then
trying to eliminate them.

852
00:52:38,879 --> 00:52:40,217
At this point we would like to discuss

853
00:52:40,251 --> 00:52:42,212
some of the equipment
we use for shearing,

854
00:52:42,941 --> 00:52:44,188
how we sharpen this equipment,

855
00:52:44,208 --> 00:52:46,248
and how we use this equipment safely.

856
00:52:47,204 --> 00:52:50,083
The first knife we
have here is a Harveco,

857
00:52:50,113 --> 00:52:53,005
with an 18-inch blade
and a 16-inch handle.

858
00:52:53,536 --> 00:52:55,666
This is the knife that
I personally use because

859
00:52:55,704 --> 00:52:58,107
it allows me to go from
top to bottom on most trees,

860
00:52:59,192 --> 00:53:02,855
allows me to get straight
sides, and is very efficient.

861
00:53:03,339 --> 00:53:07,272
I do shear almost
year-round, so it is a knife,

862
00:53:07,292 --> 00:53:08,908
because of the weight of the handle,

863
00:53:08,923 --> 00:53:11,711
that I would recommend for
someone who shears quite often.

864
00:53:13,047 --> 00:53:15,141
The next knife that we have here is a

865
00:53:15,149 --> 00:53:17,594
ten-inch handle
with a 16-inch blade.

866
00:53:18,008 --> 00:53:19,913
The ten inch handle is something that

867
00:53:19,933 --> 00:53:22,681
I would recommend for
someone who just shears

868
00:53:22,701 --> 00:53:24,483
seasonally because the
weight of the handle

869
00:53:24,504 --> 00:53:27,005
will not give you as much injury

870
00:53:27,026 --> 00:53:29,837
to possibly your wrist
or elbows or such.

871
00:53:30,261 --> 00:53:35,042
The problem with the shorter
knives is that at times

872
00:53:35,074 --> 00:53:38,181
you can get two different
angles to a tree because

873
00:53:38,188 --> 00:53:41,165
you're not making on consistent
swing from top to bottom.

874
00:53:41,185 --> 00:53:42,740
As long as you're aware of that,

875
00:53:43,527 --> 00:53:45,587
this knife may work real well for you.

876
00:53:46,541 --> 00:53:48,308
We also have the six-inch handle knives

877
00:53:48,334 --> 00:53:49,800
with the sixteen-inch handle blade.

878
00:53:50,428 --> 00:53:53,934
These are very light
and you could possibly be

879
00:53:53,954 --> 00:53:58,555
very prone to a choppy effect
on your tree after shearing.

880
00:54:00,513 --> 00:54:03,347
The next knife that
we have here also has

881
00:54:03,364 --> 00:54:06,408
a six-inch handle and
a sixteen-inch blade.

882
00:54:06,427 --> 00:54:08,330
The blade is made of stainless steel.

883
00:54:08,958 --> 00:54:10,197
The steel is a little bit harder

884
00:54:10,217 --> 00:54:12,822
to sharpen but once we get it sharp,

885
00:54:12,841 --> 00:54:14,083
it will stay a little sharper

886
00:54:14,114 --> 00:54:15,992
than the high carbon-type steels.

887
00:54:18,216 --> 00:54:20,441
Another small knife has a six-inch

888
00:54:20,478 --> 00:54:24,110
handle and a fourteen-inch
blade and is a Hinkle knife.

889
00:54:24,601 --> 00:54:27,493
This knife only comes
available with a six-inch

890
00:54:27,532 --> 00:54:30,270
handle and was very
popular at one point.

891
00:54:30,287 --> 00:54:34,253
They're a little harder to
get these days and they're

892
00:54:34,276 --> 00:54:37,796
very expensive, but they
seem to work real well.

893
00:54:37,820 --> 00:54:40,133
Remember with the smaller
knives you're going to have a

894
00:54:40,154 --> 00:54:43,056
little harder time keeping
uniform straight sides.

895
00:54:43,668 --> 00:54:47,043
How we sharpen these knives
is that at first I use a file.

896
00:54:48,593 --> 00:54:51,800
I always use a good
file because an old file

897
00:54:51,823 --> 00:54:54,321
or one that's very
pitched up will run across

898
00:54:54,335 --> 00:54:57,107
the blade of the knife and you can

899
00:54:57,128 --> 00:54:59,015
have a chance of injuring
your hand at this point.

900
00:54:59,035 --> 00:55:00,506
We try to use a good file.

901
00:55:00,520 --> 00:55:02,468
It's called an eight-inch
Mill-bastard file.

902
00:55:03,951 --> 00:55:07,473
This will take the
initial edge off the knife.

903
00:55:07,477 --> 00:55:09,588
The second thing that I
will use is a wet stone,

904
00:55:10,548 --> 00:55:11,970
which refines the edge of the knife.

905
00:55:12,503 --> 00:55:15,398
After I use the stone, I use the steel,

906
00:55:15,418 --> 00:55:18,170
which will take the wire edge
that's left after using the

907
00:55:18,189 --> 00:55:20,451
file and the stone; this
takes the wire edge off.

908
00:55:20,829 --> 00:55:23,080
And gives me, hopefully, a sharp knife,

909
00:55:23,098 --> 00:55:25,926
Which will enable me
to shear quality trees.

910
00:55:29,754 --> 00:55:32,428
Another tool that's very
important in shearing

911
00:55:32,451 --> 00:55:34,456
Christmas trees is a
good set of clippers.

912
00:55:34,833 --> 00:55:36,200
These are the Falco-two's.

913
00:55:36,220 --> 00:55:39,778
These are very commonly
used in Christmas trees.

914
00:55:40,088 --> 00:55:42,928
They have the flat side,
which is very effective

915
00:55:42,951 --> 00:55:45,096
for base pruning and
removing things flushly.

916
00:55:45,500 --> 00:55:47,362
They have a pitch pocket,

917
00:55:47,390 --> 00:55:50,771
so that the clippers will
not gum-up very easily.

918
00:55:52,473 --> 00:55:54,363
Again, the most commonly used clippers.

919
00:55:54,395 --> 00:55:55,694
I find them very functional.

920
00:55:55,719 --> 00:55:58,301
I always carry my clippers in a holster,

921
00:55:59,061 --> 00:56:02,289
which makes them very
available and safely carried.

922
00:56:03,667 --> 00:56:06,142
Another, very important,

923
00:56:06,164 --> 00:56:08,568
piece of shearing
equipment is the leg guard.

924
00:56:09,084 --> 00:56:11,008
These are the types
of leg guards I prefer.

925
00:56:11,892 --> 00:56:14,791
I prefer green ones over
red ones because the red ones

926
00:56:14,813 --> 00:56:17,299
seem to attract bees if
you do hit a bee's nest.

927
00:56:17,980 --> 00:56:21,097
Leg guards are worn
over both legs; they have

928
00:56:21,121 --> 00:56:27,020
straps that fit securely
around your leg at three points.

929
00:56:28,232 --> 00:56:31,819
You should wear them on a belt
and squarely over both legs.

930
00:56:33,588 --> 00:56:35,358
These will protect
your legs and allow you

931
00:56:35,394 --> 00:56:37,683
to make proper swings
because with a proper swing,

932
00:56:37,702 --> 00:56:39,610
the knife will be going
very close to your leg.

933
00:56:41,685 --> 00:56:43,987
Another important tool
is a good pair of boots.

934
00:56:44,004 --> 00:56:47,319
This is a set of
steel-toed leather boots.

935
00:56:48,669 --> 00:56:52,019
And this is a set of steel toes
will protect your toes from any cuts

936
00:56:52,026 --> 00:56:54,363
that may happen with the
knife swinging by your foot.

937
00:56:56,150 --> 00:57:01,076
We want to be as safe as
possible by wearing good footwear.

938
00:57:01,523 --> 00:57:02,720
If you're wearing rubber boots,

939
00:57:02,727 --> 00:57:05,826
it's also very important that
the boots have double-thick

940
00:57:05,845 --> 00:57:10,492
rubber along the toe and
not just the single layer.

941
00:57:11,547 --> 00:57:14,404
Another tool that we'll use is a Tapner.

942
00:57:15,382 --> 00:57:22,332
This is used for tying leaders
and tying up tops in trees.

943
00:57:22,716 --> 00:57:24,847
As you can see it ties things together.

944
00:57:25,700 --> 00:57:28,495
The problem I find with this
is that it's not adjustable;

945
00:57:28,504 --> 00:57:30,540
you can't bring things
in tighter as needed

946
00:57:30,561 --> 00:57:31,963
or loosen them up.

947
00:57:32,292 --> 00:57:34,232
Some people have found
this to be very effective.

948
00:57:35,848 --> 00:57:38,053
Another tool that we'll use

949
00:57:38,074 --> 00:57:40,900
is a small saw for base pruning.

950
00:57:41,263 --> 00:57:44,098
It helps in removing large
branches from true fir,

951
00:57:44,114 --> 00:57:46,956
or Douglas fir, that may be too large

952
00:57:46,979 --> 00:57:48,260
to get through with clippers.

953
00:57:48,639 --> 00:57:50,839
Allows us to cut the branches off flush,

954
00:57:50,859 --> 00:57:53,471
thus still creating
a good quality handle

955
00:57:53,488 --> 00:57:54,805
on the bottom of a tree.

956
00:57:55,339 --> 00:57:59,520
This is a tool that we use
for dispensing flagging tape.

957
00:58:00,604 --> 00:58:03,058
The tape is pulled off
and pulled abruptly.

958
00:58:03,533 --> 00:58:05,561
We'll cut it off at the
length that will be needed

959
00:58:05,589 --> 00:58:06,721
for tying the leaders.

960
00:58:07,466 --> 00:58:10,013
Some people have found this
to be very effective also.

961
00:58:14,128 --> 00:58:16,474
In order to properly and
safely shear a Christmas tree,

962
00:58:17,347 --> 00:58:18,644
we need a very sharp knife.

963
00:58:19,072 --> 00:58:20,320
The first thing that we'll try

964
00:58:20,328 --> 00:58:22,614
is to find out if the knife is sharp.

965
00:58:23,880 --> 00:58:26,524
We can see this particular knife

966
00:58:27,511 --> 00:58:30,721
tends to break branches
and hangs up on many

967
00:58:30,733 --> 00:58:32,988
of the branches so it's not very sharp.

968
00:58:34,480 --> 00:58:36,311
The first thing that we need to do

969
00:58:36,323 --> 00:58:38,580
to sharpen the knife
is to remove the pitch.

970
00:58:41,714 --> 00:58:46,079
The way we remove the
pitch is by using a knife

971
00:58:46,132 --> 00:58:48,049
that's not presently
in use for shearing;

972
00:58:49,183 --> 00:58:51,312
putting the knife
that we want to sharpen

973
00:58:51,331 --> 00:58:53,685
in between our leg
guard and our other knife

974
00:58:53,693 --> 00:58:55,178
and just pulling it directly away.

975
00:58:56,219 --> 00:58:58,703
This removes the pitch from the knife

976
00:58:58,717 --> 00:59:00,367
that we care to shear with.

977
00:59:01,348 --> 00:59:04,025
The next thing that we'll do is grab

978
00:59:04,048 --> 00:59:10,178
our file and begin
concentrating on putting a nice,

979
00:59:11,575 --> 00:59:14,858
even edge all the way down the knife

980
00:59:14,867 --> 00:59:16,937
that we need to sharpen.

981
00:59:34,184 --> 00:59:37,387
Once I have sharpened
one side of the knife,

982
00:59:37,747 --> 00:59:40,667
I try to keep this edge
uniform in the amount

983
00:59:40,675 --> 00:59:42,419
of the material that I'm removing

984
00:59:42,419 --> 00:59:44,497
all the way down the
length of the knife,

985
00:59:45,483 --> 00:59:50,454
I'll turn it over and begin
to sharpen the back side.

986
00:59:51,440 --> 00:59:53,971
What's very important
is that I only remove

987
00:59:54,845 --> 00:59:58,781
the same amount on this side
that I did the other side,

988
00:59:59,739 --> 01:00:01,685
which will ensure that I
have the blade centered,

989
01:00:01,701 --> 01:00:03,595
the edge centered on the knife.

990
01:00:03,975 --> 01:00:06,656
If I take more material
off one side than the other,

991
01:00:08,171 --> 01:00:10,474
my blade will be off-center
and the chances of getting

992
01:00:10,482 --> 01:00:13,668
the knife very sharp will be very slim.

993
01:00:15,662 --> 01:00:19,108
Whichever direction
is the last direction

994
01:00:19,142 --> 01:00:21,694
that I file will have a wire edge,

995
01:00:24,668 --> 01:00:26,443
which will actually be
going around the blade.

996
01:00:27,603 --> 01:00:30,101
So I want to very lightly use the file

997
01:00:31,237 --> 01:00:33,052
to try to center this up.

998
01:00:33,512 --> 01:00:36,716
I can feel the wire
edge by placing the knife

999
01:00:36,742 --> 01:00:39,856
squarely over my finger
and rubbing my finger

1000
01:00:39,878 --> 01:00:45,822
up the side of the blade and
my thumb up the other side.

1001
01:00:46,160 --> 01:00:47,953
You'll be able to feel whichever way

1002
01:00:47,988 --> 01:00:50,432
the blade may be laid over.

1003
01:00:52,210 --> 01:00:56,683
As long as my edges are even,

1004
01:00:57,210 --> 01:00:58,706
I'm now ready to use the steel.

1005
01:00:58,727 --> 01:01:03,674
I take the knife and run
it directly along the steel,

1006
01:01:04,372 --> 01:01:05,870
pointing away from my body.

1007
01:01:06,313 --> 01:01:09,800
The important thing about
steeling the knife is

1008
01:01:09,819 --> 01:01:12,554
that the angles used on the steel

1009
01:01:12,579 --> 01:01:15,209
will be the same from top to bottom.

1010
01:01:15,762 --> 01:01:17,061
We're not going to be real abrupt

1011
01:01:17,090 --> 01:01:19,788
on one side and flat on another.

1012
01:01:21,847 --> 01:01:24,837
We want the knife to go from the bottom

1013
01:01:24,845 --> 01:01:26,957
of the blade to the very tip.

1014
01:01:27,418 --> 01:01:29,553
The tip of the knife is
usually the most important

1015
01:01:30,369 --> 01:01:33,422
part to get sharp and it
seems to be the hardest.

1016
01:01:35,037 --> 01:01:37,001
Once I have my knife sharp,

1017
01:01:37,432 --> 01:01:40,201
the steel will be the only
tool that I'll use on it,

1018
01:01:40,718 --> 01:01:43,148
unless I begin to have troubles with it

1019
01:01:43,188 --> 01:01:44,987
hanging up or breaking branches.

1020
01:01:47,495 --> 01:01:50,791
The steel is actually just
a very very light file.

1021
01:01:54,100 --> 01:01:55,868
Once I've steeled the knife,

1022
01:01:55,894 --> 01:01:58,183
again I want to check for a rolled edge.

1023
01:02:00,125 --> 01:02:01,712
Sometimes you may have a rolled edge

1024
01:02:01,732 --> 01:02:05,705
just right at the tip
such as we do here.

1025
01:02:08,306 --> 01:02:10,267
I'll just want to take
a little bit of that off

1026
01:02:11,411 --> 01:02:13,736
so we can bring that
blade back into center.

1027
01:02:16,954 --> 01:02:20,559
I steel it and it's feeling
pretty good to me now.

1028
01:02:21,261 --> 01:02:28,748
As we can see, the knife
will now cut in a nice,

1029
01:02:28,769 --> 01:02:32,334
clean cut, which will ensure that we can

1030
01:02:32,354 --> 01:02:35,107
shear our trees properly and safely.

1031
01:02:41,210 --> 01:02:42,873
We'd like to talk a little bit about

1032
01:02:42,894 --> 01:02:45,267
how most injuries occur.

1033
01:02:46,384 --> 01:02:48,689
My experience has
shown that most injuries

1034
01:02:48,711 --> 01:02:50,215
occur while sharpening a knife.

1035
01:02:51,844 --> 01:02:53,774
I usually like to
dictate that one person is

1036
01:02:53,791 --> 01:02:55,219
responsible for sharpening the knives

1037
01:02:55,244 --> 01:02:58,078
and that that person
knows the proper sharpening

1038
01:02:58,118 --> 01:03:00,911
techniques that I have
found to be very safe.

1039
01:03:03,080 --> 01:03:06,899
In my experience, the second
most common injury will be

1040
01:03:06,907 --> 01:03:09,671
caused by someone using
improper shearing swing:

1041
01:03:09,693 --> 01:03:12,164
something that is
manufactured that starts

1042
01:03:12,171 --> 01:03:14,917
from below and comes up, comes across,

1043
01:03:14,944 --> 01:03:18,847
comes in any manner other
than directly at you.

1044
01:03:19,244 --> 01:03:21,851
The shearing equipment that I use

1045
01:03:21,859 --> 01:03:24,546
(the steel-toed boots
and my leg chaps),

1046
01:03:24,568 --> 01:03:28,157
are set up to protect me from
the knife coming towards me.

1047
01:03:28,654 --> 01:03:31,294
The proper shearing swing should start

1048
01:03:31,323 --> 01:03:33,982
above your shoulder
and then past your leg.

1049
01:03:35,457 --> 01:03:39,718
Some of the things that we
always do is we never work

1050
01:03:39,735 --> 01:03:41,411
in rows directly next to each other.

1051
01:03:41,431 --> 01:03:43,606
We have a down row and a return row.

1052
01:03:45,442 --> 01:03:47,308
We try to be very conscientious

1053
01:03:47,328 --> 01:03:49,010
about where other people are.

1054
01:03:49,782 --> 01:03:51,517
When we hit bee's nests,

1055
01:03:51,546 --> 01:03:53,809
the first thing we do is drop the knife.

1056
01:03:54,331 --> 01:03:58,383
I find it very necessary
to generally run quickly,

1057
01:03:58,404 --> 01:04:00,549
not very slowly.

1058
01:04:00,785 --> 01:04:01,922
By dropping the knife,

1059
01:04:01,955 --> 01:04:05,588
it eliminates the chance
of swinging at the bees.

1060
01:04:07,245 --> 01:04:09,017
We don't play radios in
the Christmas tree field

1061
01:04:09,033 --> 01:04:11,220
because the easiest way for me to detect

1062
01:04:11,238 --> 01:04:13,933
that there are bees
in the tree next to me

1063
01:04:13,954 --> 01:04:15,887
or the one that I'm working
on is for me to hear them.

1064
01:04:15,905 --> 01:04:18,146
There are three ways to
find out you hit bees.

1065
01:04:18,168 --> 01:04:21,141
That's to see them, hear
them, or you feel them.

1066
01:04:22,372 --> 01:04:25,475
I have found that hearing them is

1067
01:04:25,475 --> 01:04:27,582
the most effective way to not get stung.

1068
01:04:30,048 --> 01:04:34,372
Using these methods of properly
worn shearing equipment,

1069
01:04:35,195 --> 01:04:38,225
leg guards that are worn
properly are not pulled up

1070
01:04:38,255 --> 01:04:42,369
to a point that exposes
this part of the leg.

1071
01:04:42,958 --> 01:04:46,632
They are worn down below
so that it goes directly

1072
01:04:46,655 --> 01:04:48,770
from my steel toe to the leg guard.

1073
01:04:49,203 --> 01:04:50,258
The leg guards are

1074
01:04:50,277 --> 01:04:52,573
worn squarely over my legs.

1075
01:04:52,604 --> 01:04:54,841
A lot of times I see people
that have their leg guards

1076
01:04:54,859 --> 01:04:57,313
that creep in on them so
that while they are shearing,

1077
01:04:57,318 --> 01:04:59,243
the knee becomes exposed.

1078
01:04:59,683 --> 01:05:03,803
I want the leg guard to be
worn squarely over both legs.

1079
01:05:06,504 --> 01:05:08,684
If I don't have a leg
guard on my left leg,

1080
01:05:08,684 --> 01:05:11,857
then the chances of me hitting
a piece of dead wood in the

1081
01:05:11,891 --> 01:05:15,162
bottom of the tree and it
coming across can sustain injury.

1082
01:05:15,533 --> 01:05:17,360
These are some of the
things that I found

1083
01:05:17,396 --> 01:05:20,555
very important to
practice safe shearing so

1084
01:05:20,573 --> 01:05:24,004
that you and the person working
next to you do not sustain

1085
01:05:24,033 --> 01:05:26,188
an injury while properly
shearing Christmas trees.

1086
01:05:35,454 --> 01:05:38,144
New Speaker: I hope this
presentation has given you

1087
01:05:38,162 --> 01:05:41,224
some useful tips and
suggestions to help you improve

1088
01:05:41,240 --> 01:05:43,856
the Christmas tree quality
on your own tree farm.

1089
01:05:44,359 --> 01:05:46,914
There are additional sources
of information available.

1090
01:05:47,499 --> 01:05:49,059
For example, the extension service

1091
01:05:49,084 --> 01:05:52,903
has publications on shearing
and culturing Noble fir,

1092
01:05:52,926 --> 01:05:54,906
Grand fir and Douglas fir.

1093
01:05:55,272 --> 01:05:57,929
There are publications
available on weed control in

1094
01:05:57,942 --> 01:06:00,876
your plantations and on
disease and insect control.

1095
01:06:01,686 --> 01:06:03,901
Grower associations also can provide

1096
01:06:03,920 --> 01:06:05,542
some useful information and help.

1097
01:06:05,562 --> 01:06:07,094
Associations such as the

1098
01:06:07,120 --> 01:06:09,209
Northwest Christmas Tree
Grower's Association,

1099
01:06:09,875 --> 01:06:12,534
the Puget Sound Grower's
Association, and the National

1100
01:06:12,560 --> 01:06:15,763
Christmas Tree Association
are all quite helpful.

1101
01:06:17,164 --> 01:06:20,529
Your county extension
office and consultants can

1102
01:06:20,536 --> 01:06:22,652
additionally provide
some help and assistance

1103
01:06:22,675 --> 01:06:24,088
on your own plantation.

1104
01:06:25,673 --> 01:06:28,992
But probably the best source
of information is your own

1105
01:06:29,009 --> 01:06:32,850
experience and experimentation
on your own tree farm.