Hallmark Movie?

Shearing Douglas Fir - cc photo by J. Delp

The majority of my childhood years were spent on a Christmas Tree Farm in rural Kansas. This was a bit of an oddity given that our family farm was surrounded by vast acres of wheat and corn. Kansas is not synonymous with Christmas trees (or trees in general). My grandfather started Delp Christmas Tree Farm in 1959 and it has since been run by my father, and now my brother, Joel (who is also a full time high school science teacher). Although significantly smaller now, Joel has added a large orchard where he grows peaches, apples, persimmons, pawpaws, and even blueberries. He stays busy.

The tree farm was a wonderful place to be a kid. My brothers and I spent a lot of time outdoors – exploring the 175+ acres that teemed with rabbits, box turtles, snakes, lizards, and birds. In addition, the tree farm provided gainful employment (whether we wanted it or not). I could write a book about my experience on the farm, but in this post I will focus on one aspect of Christmas tree farming. Shearing. 

Each spring, Christmas trees put on new growth. Left unchecked it may lead to odd shapes and trees that look more like a bush than a Christmas tree. Beginning in June, the job of shearing Christmas trees begins. Each tree must be individually trimmed in a manner that supports its growth into an appropriate shape. 

Shearing Small Trees with a Saje

There are multiple tools that can be used to accomplish this. For years, we used hand shears with a crew of high school and college students methodically working their way through the fields. As the farm grew in size and number of trees, we shifted to a tool called a Beneke – think of a weed eater with a saw blade on the end. Knives, the tool of choice for big farms in Oregon, Michigan, North Carolina, etc., were experimented with, but as you can imagine, handing a long bladed machete to high school kids is not without risk. We finally settled on a gas powered machine called a Saje. The Saje has a six-foot long sickle that resembles a super-size hedge trimmer. By guiding this around the tree, the trimmer is able to shear the tree in one or two passes – much faster than hand shears. However, this device is heavy, takes practice, and can be a challenge depending on the amount of growth that must be cut off. 

Numbers play a significant role in determining what tool is used. This summer, I helped my brother and nephews shear over 10,000 trees in about a month using only hand shears. This may sound like a large number, but in the 1989 shearing season (the summer after I graduated from high school), we trimmed 243,982 trees. Numbers that big necessitated a crew utilizing multiple Sajes and took several months. It felt like work that would never end.

Shearing is hot, sticky (think humidity and tree sap), and exhausting – especially when using the Saje. If you talk to people who have sheared trees over the years, they will typically speak about their participation with a sense of accomplishment. The job was not for everyone. Former trimmers often retain fond memories of camaraderie, hijinks, and end of season celebrations. Some remember an occasional bullsnake, picking cheat grass out of socks, and trying to scrub sap out of their hair (head, arms, or legs – if brave enough to wear shorts). As time passes, the memories tend to get better, but this is not the stuff of Hallmark Christmas movies.

Using Hand Shears - My Uncle (left) and Dad (right)

Having been away from shearing for a while I actually enjoy the physical work and the ease with which it “comes back” to me. In addition, it’s great to reminisce about the past work – remembering the fun we had and generally forgetting how miserable we were. There are a lot of stories in those memories.

If you sheared trees at Delp Christmas Tree Farm, or anywhere else, I’d love to hear about your experience. Take a few minutes to drop it in the comments!

Want to know a bit more about the history of Delp Christmas Tree Farm? Check out this video.