Cutting Your Own Christmas Tree

One of my fondest childhood memories is going out into the forest with my grandfather and sister to pick out and cut down our own Christmas tree. Growing up this was our yearly tradition the day before Christmas. Knowing that we had cut the tree ourselves by hand the day before added to the magic of the holidays. And when the tree was finally cut up for firewood on the 13^th day of Christmas it was always sad to say goodbye to 'our' tree.

These Christmas moments with my grandfather are precious memories, but our expeditions into the Norwegian pine forests was also an important part of my upbringing. My grandfather would teach me by example many important lessons about respecting nature and your neighbors. He would stress the importance of doing a job properly even if that meant spending more time to get it right. He pointed out the beauty of the cultivated country side and thought me the names of endless little animals and plants. He made sure I knew how to handle dangerous tools with care and proper respect. Most importantly on long walks in the forest he would tell stories from his own childhood connecting me and my sister to the generations of our family.

Taking the time to cut your own Christmas tree is about more than just saving some money and getting the best tree you can for your living room. It can be an opportunity to create life long memories.

In a world that is becoming increasingly obsessed with quick fixes and throw away solutions to perceived problems. You can get a Christmas tree in the Wal-mart parking lot for just $40 . Taking the time and making the effort do do this work yourself can be a great way to slow down the pace before Christmas. It's also a great adventure for your kids.

Cutting your own Christmas tree is not difficult. The hardest part is finding the tree you want. Many people do not have access to a forest where they can legally fell trees. Some landowners will let you cut a tree for a fee. If you live by a Christmas tree farm, chances are that the land owner will let you cut your own tree if you ask. Getting your tree from a farm is however not as exciting as finding one in the wild.

If you are lucky enough to have access to a forest where you can cut a Christmas tree you have a great resource for creating long lasting memories for your family.

When picking the tree you want there are a few rules of proper forest management to consider. Never cut the top of a taller tree no matter how beautiful it would look in your living room. If the tree is too tall then leave it alone.

You should also avoid cutting a tree that has ample growing space. In a natural forest trees will sprout at random, some will be clustered together while others grow off on their own. Leave the trees that stand by themselves, these trees will grow to be tall majestic trees. If you find trees that are growing close together they will impede each other should they both continue to grow in the same spot. Pick the best looking tree and take it home. The tree you left will be an asset to the forest as it grows to fill the extra space you have given it.

Try to not disrupt the balance of the forest you are working in. Many great Christmas trees can be found in confernious forests. Forest with both leaf and needle trees. Try to pick your tree carefully so you won't shift the balance of trees in one area. Take the time to get to know the character of the forest you are in and aim for your lumber-jacking to be as unnoticeable as possible.

A last point that many people do not consider is to clean up after yourself. I am not just thinking of the obvious rule that you never leave any of your trash behind. The process of cutting down a tree leaves a lot of mess. Sawdust and cut of branches being not the least. While this is organic material that will decay over time, spruce branches will be unsightly for years to come if you leave them in the open. Out of respect of the forest and the other people that use it; always stow away branches that are left lying around. This can be as easy as piling them under the branches of a thick spruce tree or hiding it out of view under a large rock or in a crevice in the land. Many people will think it is silly to clean up after yourself in the wild. But by taking the time to leave the forest as untouched as possible you preserve the beauty for other people and you will know that you have done the job properly through to the end.

Assuming you have found a perfect tree, it is time to look at the actual process of cutting it down. A Christmas tree is rarely taller than 10 feet. This means that the work of felling one is a lot easier than cutting down a full grown tree. You won't have to worry about calculating where the tree will fall since you will easily be able to push or pull it in the direction where you want it to fall. That said, you should always decide before hand where you want the tree to fall. Make sure the tree falls on level ground and does not fall over other smaller trees that could get damaged. When you know what way the tree should fall start cutting on the opposite side of the trunk.

To cut down the tree the best tool to use is a light-weight bow saw. If you have kids with you they will love to help out by pulling on the far part of the saw. Make sure they keep their feet well apart and legs well clear of the path of the saw and this will be fine. You will doing all the work while they get the satisfaction of having helped. Making sure the blade stays level at all times, cut through the trunk with long even strokes. Establish a rhythm so anyone helping you with the saw will be able to follow your movements easily.

Make sure you cut the tree as close to the ground as possible. You want to leave as little of a stump as you can. Keep in mind that if you are living in an area with a lot of snow you might have to dig down to the foot of the tree. The branches of large spruce trees will keep most of the snow off the ground around the foot of the tree. The trees that make good Christmas trees are so small that they often are more snowed in. You should not take the easy way out and cut the tree at snow level unless you know that the snow is very shallow. Cutting the tree at snow level could leave a tall stump when the snow melts. Not only will this be an eyesore in the forest, but you are also likely to cut down a tree that is so tall that it should have been left standing. Make sure you carry a small shovel so you are ready to clear out snow from the foot of your tree.

When you are close to having cut through the trunk start pushing the tree lightly with one hand in the direction it should fall. This should be away from you and anybody else operating the saw. Pushing the tree this way will make it easier to run the saw as a lot of weight is taken of the blade. Don't push too hard or the tree might fall too early and the wood could splinter leaving an uneven cut. If operating the saw with one hand is too difficult; pushing the tree is a great job for one of your helpers. Make sure they are absolutely certain of what way the tree should fall. While a Christmas tree won't do to much damage it is still no fun to have one fall on top of you.

Once the tree has been cut down you can prepare it by removing some of the branches closest to the foot of the tree. This has to be done at some point for the tree to fit in a stand. Doing it now will give you a better grip for carrying the tree back to your car. Use a small sharp ax to trim away the lower branches. Always keep the trunk of the tree between the ax and your legs and cut the branches starting at the bottom. The easiest way is to swing the ax from the top of the tree towards the bottom along the trunk. Cut only one branch at a time and make sure no one is standing behind you while you use the ax. If your kids are old enough, this is a great way to introduce them to handling an ax. The branches will usually not require more than one or two chops to come off and the ax work is pretty basic. Stress the importance of always swinging the ax away from their legs and keeping the trunk between themselves and the ax as added protection.

The branches you cut of the tree in this way can be used for Christmas decorations. We would often replace our doormat with fresh cut spruce branches for example. If you don't want to carry the cuttings home with you make sure you put them away neatly somewhere.

Depending on the size of the tree you could either carry it back to the car by yourself or get the help of one more person to carry it. If you are carrying it by yourself; start with the tree lying down. Gently move the branches to the side and grab the trunk about 1/3 of the way from the bottom. This will be the approximate balance point of the tree. Pick the tree up and carry it with the foot facing forward. If you carry it with the top facing forward you could easily break it off. Hold the tree as far out from your body as you can to keep from bending the branches too much out of place.

If the tree is too heavy for you to carry and there is lot's of snow in the forest you can pull the tree behind you. Grab the foot of the tree with one hand and drag it along the snow. If you pull the tree by the top the branches will break off so make sure you are holding onto the foot and are dragging the tree behind you.

If you have a helper, carrying the tree is a lot easier. The strongest person grabs the foot of the tree, and the helper(s) grab onto the trunk near the top of the tree. Since the branches has been cleared form the bottom of the tree you don't have to worry as much about bending them so you can carry the tree closer to your body. This will make it a lot easier to get the tree to the car. The people holding the top of the tree still have to be careful not to bend the branches.

When the tree has been carried safely to the car you need to tie it down. If you are driving a truck the tree will be safe in the bed of your car. If you need to tie the tree to the top of your car make sure that the foot of the tree is facing forward. Use solid twine or rope to tie the tree down. Don't tighten the rope too tight or you risk breaking the branches off your tree. Be extra careful that the tree can not move side to side and you will be fine. Still, it is a good idea to not take the freeway home when you have a tree strapped to the top of your car.

As soon as you get the tree home cut a thin slice off the bottom of the tree. Put the fresh cut tree in water right away. The quicker you get the tree standing in water the longer it will hold the needles. With the tree leveled and watered in the stand, all that is left is to decorate your Christmas tree and enjoy the holidays with your family.