Wreaths

Harvesting Tips / Forest Management for Tips

Millions of Christmas wreaths are made in Maine each year. Christmas wreaths are usually made from the tips of balsam fir branches. The tips are 12 to 20 inches long. Collecting these tips is called tipping. Once collected, these tips are bought by wreath makers. The price is based on weight and quality. High quality tips are full and dark green.

Harvesting

When: Cold fall weather causes the branches to set. Setting seals the branch's pores with wax. Once the branch is set, the needles will stay on the branch months after cutting. If tipping occurs before setting, the wreaths will be brown sticks before Christmas. It is usually safe to tip after November first and after a minimum of three consecutive 20-degree-F nights.

Where: The lower branches are shaded, making them have a flat needle arrangement that is less full. The top branches dry faster and shed their needles earlier after cutting. The middle branches have a rounded or "bottle brush" needle arrangement. These are the best tips because they are full and will not shed early.

How Much: Harvest only part of each branch so that the branch can produce another tip for a future harvest. Cut no more than half the foliage in a single year so that the tree can remain vigorous. Harvest a tree every three years for the most tip production. Cutting from a tree every year will tap the vigor of the tree and eventually kill it.

Managing an area for wreath tip harvesting will ensure yearly crops of high quality tips. Without management, fir tips will grow out of reach as the trees get taller. Management also produces fuller tips. Areas that will benefit from tip management have mostly young fir that are between 5 and 15 feet tall. The management activities are as follows.

(UMCE Bulletin #7011 and #7089)