Selling Christmas Trees, a family affair

eelgrass · Nov 25, 2010

About a month ago my brother from Oregon announces that he and his son-in-law are comming to Kali to sell Christmas trees. His son-in-law's family owns tree farms in Oregon. My first reaction was "Whaaaaaaattt?????". They rented a place in town, and it's a prime location.

My brother asked me to design and build tree display stands. OK, what the heck. What are brothers for, right? So I came up with an idea and let the sawdust fly.

Last Sunday here came a truck and trailer loaded down with 990 trees from Oregon. Now I realized they were serious. You have no idea how many 990 trees is until you unload them one at a time by hand,

It would probably be easier if both guys were facing the same way. That's my family for you.

I've been working at the sawmill, but helping all I can. I spent the day down there today. It's comming together, I guess. I unwrapped at least 700 miles of twine.

My brother and Brian, his son-in-law. Brian is a great guy and a hard worker!

They weren't even open and people were buying trees.

They have a lot of work and money into this. I hope they at least make enough to reimburse me for the lumber.

Well, at least I got a "free" tree. Plus an invite to hunt elk on their place in Oregon.

I wonder if this is just a money laundering scheme for their pot farm?

Eel

kilowatt · Nov 25, 2010

They got any Silver Tip trees aka Blue Spruce I believe??

Brian
http://i25.tinypic.com/fxbjgy.jpg[/IMG]

sageadvice · Nov 25, 2010

Eel, i'll bet they do pretty good! Looks like decent trees!!

Joey

Longun · Nov 25, 2010

shoulda just airgunned to the floor with 6 penny nails and caller' good!......Eel, those are big reefers they're sellin' as Christmas trees...wait till they dry out next spring..WOO HOO!

fireball77 · Nov 25, 2010

Is that lawful in Kali??

B_BOP_A_LU_LU · Nov 25, 2010

Can't ya just go cut any tree you want in Kali?

I heard they do 'drive by's' on trees in Kali?

God is Great!
Life is Good!
And People are Crazy!

I love not acting my age,
Damn I love my NASCAR race,
And Hell yes I love my Truck!

sageadvice · Nov 25, 2010

"Is that lawful in Kali??"

Lots of Christmas tree farms on private land in Kali. Also you can buy a Christmas Tree Permit at the Forset Service Office, at least in the part of Kali that i live, for $10, and just go out on National Forest land and, there are a few rules, pick out the one you want and cut it down. We cut mostly "Silver tips" here.

There are also guys that buy Christmas tree "sales" from the F.S. too. They may buy a sale that has 5000 trees for a set agreed upon price. These guys work really hard getting their tree allotment picked, cut, drug out, wrapped, then stacked on the trucks in sometimes very steep country. When it gets really cold or when there has already been wet weather, like this year, it is extra hard punishing work. I know several guys who have contracted and some who signed on to do this as helpers and they do earn the little money the contractors pay them.

As far as selling the trees, it's free Enterprise. Many guys or organizations sell from the same locations year after year.

Joey

eelgrass · Nov 26, 2010

They grow Silvertips in Oregon but the snow was too deep at harvest time so he didn't bring any down. They sold 16,500 trees this year. Should be an elk in there somewhere.

Joey, the best Christmas trees in the world are growing just up the road from you in Lassen Park. I was tempted to poach one when I drove through a couple weeks ago.

Eel

kilowatt · Nov 26, 2010

The cheapest ones are in Tree Lots after dark and the caretaker is drunk at the local bar.....we took 5 one year back in the 70's...LOL

Brian
http://i25.tinypic.com/fxbjgy.jpg[/IMG]

justr_86 · Nov 26, 2010

Lol kilo weren't you like 50 years old in the 70s?

LESGO54 · Nov 26, 2010

>The cheapest ones are in Tree
>Lots after dark and the
>caretaker is drunk at the
>local bar.....we took 5 one
>year back in the 70's...LOL
>
>
>Brian
>http://i25.tinypic.com/fxbjgy.jpg[/IMG]

did u use your 4 wheeler to haul them out. lmao

sageadvice · Nov 26, 2010

"The cheapest ones are in Tree Lots after dark..."

There was a smallish Tree Lot that setup every year right next to a old time "waterhole" in my home town. I think it pretty much provided "free" trees to many of the patrons of that bar.

But then, that was before trail cams!

Eel yeah, lots of really nice ones in the Park, protected, but there are lots also on the higher ridges around Chester. It would take a snowmobile to get a really good one now but darn near everybody has a snowmobile so they're still coming in.

Joey

kilowatt · Nov 26, 2010

LESGO54...no we backed up a family friends pu with camper top on it and we loaded him up and then we headed back to Grass Valley to my Granny's ranch. We never told her were we got them and gave one to her also. The lot was in Truckee.

Brian
http://i25.tinypic.com/fxbjgy.jpg[/IMG]

eelgrass · Nov 26, 2010

Back in the late 60s and early 70s I worked for Simpson Timber Co. (now known as Green Diamond). They usually let employees cut Christmas trees on their property, but one year they said no tree cutting.

I was one of the few employees who elected to plant trees in the winter months instead of collecting unemployment. I planted 400-600 trees a day for a couple months a year, so I kinda figured I was entitled to a Christmas tree or two. I went up one weekend and cut 5 trees. I was comming out and got stuck in the snow. As I was walking out to the main road, the head forester came along and asked what I was doing. I said "What do you think I'm doing? I got stuck in the snow and you're going to pull me out, trees and all".

After he pulled me out he handed me 5 tree passes each signed by him personally. We got to be pretty good friends over the years.

Eel

slickrock · Nov 26, 2010

Ashamed to admit it but I got sick of paying the FS to thin their trees for them. Bought a nice tree at Home Depot about 5 years ago. It came equipped with 500 lights & everything. We spray it with pinesol on Christmas Eve and pretend its real. Santa doesn't seem to mind.

Slick

rutnbuck · Nov 27, 2010

Great Job Eel. Do you deliver? I could use one. Do you have any with lights on? I don't have a lot of room in my tent so it has to be pretty small. Battery type lights please. They shut my power off but that is ok I have a head lamp.
Rutnbuck

eelgrass · Dec 4, 2010

Update: We've sold about 600 trees so far. We had another 500 delivered this morning. It was crazy hectic today.

Remember the "free tree" I got?

My wife really didn't want to deal with it in the house this year since the grandkids won't be here until after Christmas, so I put it up outside in the front yard. I put some outside lights on it. It looks pretty nice.

I didn't have a very good stand for it, so I tied 3 guy wires to it so it would with stand the winter winds that always blow here on the coast.

Today my wife heard a commotion out front. She looked out and a three point blacktail buck had his antlers tangled in one of the guy wires! He finally pulled free but not before knocking the tree down. She grabbed the camera but it was over before she got the shot. I told her next time forget the camera, grab the gun!

Eel

rumproast · Dec 4, 2010

Eel, this sounds like a reality show without the angst and shouting.
Too peaceful...
I'm hoping You get a piece of the Pie without the appearance on Judge Judy...Hahohawhaw!.......

Rump