Fresh-cut Christmas trees stand ready for selection at Chippewa Valley Evergreens in Durand. The trees have been given time, care, and maintenance to become the perfect tree to trim for Christmas.It can take almost 20 years for a tree to reach the nine to 10 foot height, giving growers plenty of time to deal with drought, deer, and shaping.Wreaths and swags are also created with pine boughs at Chippewa Valley Evergreens.

'Tis the season for careful selection—of Christmas trees

He sold some trees, and it just stuck...

Years ago, one local tree seller said the tree of choice for Chirstmas was a spruce.
"They lost their needles quick," said Sharon Bauer, owner of Chippewa Valley Evergreens. "We'd be playing in the living room a few days after Christmas, and you could hear the needles dropping on the hardwood floor."
Now, Bauer said people have switched to trees like the Balsam fir, Fraser fir, and white pine.
"These are what you typically find in tree lots in this area," she said.
Many tree farms can range anywhere from just a few acres to thousands, said Bauer.
"It takes a while before you get your product," she said. "At least eight years is needed for a shorter tree, and around 18 for a nine to 10 foot tree."
A Christmas tree starts out as a seedling, which is planted by a tree farmer.
"After planting, you hope you get adequate rain, and you fertilize the tree annually," Bauer said. "After three or four years you start shearing and shaping the tree, which forms it into that nice Christmas tree shape."
Bauer said a fair amount of labor goes into each tree.
"Not all trees grow perfectly, plus you fight drought and deer," she said. "By the time the tree is the right size to harvest, it's gotten some attention."
Typically, Bauer said they handle several hundred trees each season, and see customers from Wabasha, Minneapolis, Rochester, Eau Claire, and Lake City, as well as locally.
"People will travel a ways to get their tree and wreaths," she said.
While Chippewa Valley Evergreens used to grow their own trees, they now buy the majority from wholesalers.
"Some allow us to come in and fertilize and shear the trees ourselves," Bauer said. "It's more economical for us, and we can pass that savings on to the customers."
Chippewa Valley Evergreens has been in business for 30 years, and has been selling wreaths for 29 years.
"We started selling wreaths to the Boyscouts, and as time evolved, I went to a Christmas tree convention and learned to tie velvet bows for wreaths," Bauer said. "I started doing it for the Scout wreaths, and it caught on."
Bauer said they used to do a lot of wreath wholesale, but don't do as much now.
Boughs are harvested at plantations.
"We typically use scotch pine or Fraser fir boughs," she said. "You can put them up at Thanksgiving and they're still green the first of July. They don't lose their needles."
Sometimes cedar is mixed in with the pine boughs.
"You're only limited by your imagination," Bauer said.
Bauer said they try to keep a variety of trees, wreaths, and other decor.
"We have a lot of repeat customers, so we aim to please," she said. "We create a variety of swags, and lots of different things to decorate with. We fill containers with evergreens and trim, too."
Bauer said they try to have something new every year.
Before a tree can be harvested, it needs to undergo two hard frosts.
"Some years it's a pretty small window," Bauer said.
Bauer said Fraser firs do well in indoor wreaths and swags, while Balsam tolerate the indoors but aren't as luxurious. The trees used and sold at Chippewa Valley Evergreens are Wisconsin grown.
Customers can select trees as small as three feet, airy to dense, open, or formal.
"The white pines feature a longer needle, and has sort of a Victorian style," Bauer said. "The branches aren't as heavy, and this type of tree is typically dyed in the woods to help it maintain a deep green color, otherwise it yellows out in the fall."
Balsam fir offer a shorter needle, about one-half to three-quarters of an inch.
"They're a flatter needle, and probably the most aromatic of any tree," Bauer said. "The Balsam is also quicker growing than the Fraser fir."
Fraser firs take a bit longer to grow.
"They have a deeper green color, and the same type of needle as a Balsam fir but a little thicker," Bauer said. "They retain their needles the longest, too, and I've seen some last until March."
Bauer said she leaves her wreath up all year.
Trees are sheared in July, and tagged for harvest any time thereafter.
"You go through and check trees for flaws," Bauer said. "The top is very important, since that's where the star goes."
White pine are sprayed in October before harvest to preserve the color. Bauer said they will not cut trees before the second hard frost. The sap drains, with a portion retained to keep fresh.
"When a tree is placed in water and warms up, it starts drinking again and stays fresh," Bauer said.
Bauer said they first got into the Christmas tree business on a dare from a friend of her husband, Randy's.
"He sold some trees, and it just stuck," she said.
Bauer said a benefit of local tree lots is that people don't have to drive far to get their fresh-cut, shaped tree.
"Having a fresh-cut tree offers something new and unique every year," she said. "Once the house is trimmed, tree-wise, it's different each year."
Having a real tree also offers a learning process for kids, said Bauer.
"Tree harvests are a way to replenish the earth, you can count rings on the stump to see how old the tree is, and the aroma is special," she said. "Picking a tree is a family event that gets you together and gives you a good feeling."
Bauer said the price of the trees varies, but they stay within a comparable range for the area.

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