Christmas Trees for Pleasure and Profit: Third Edition

"This book should be required reading for the new or prospective Christmas tree grower." --Journal of Forestry The third edition of this successful book is for the farmer who has some extra land, for the prospective commercial grower with several hundred acres, or for the hobbyist who may want to supplement his income. Both the novice and the experienced grower will benefit from its account of growing Christmas trees for the market. Covering basic principles as well as specific practices, the book guides the reader through the various stages of establishing and maintaining a Christmas-tree plantation. Chapters provide important information on the selection of land, where to get planting stock, and factors that should be considered when deciding on what species to grow. The most critical job of all--the actual planting of the trees--is covered in depth. The authors present useful techniques for protecting the growing trees from weeds, insects, and diseases, and they offer a full description of shearing (or shaping) trees to improve their form and density--one of the keys to a successful crop. On the business side, issues of grading, harvesting, and marketing are examined. A chapter on taxes includes alternative methods of treating income and a concluding section gives the grower advice on obtaining further help. This new and updated edition also covers changes in the technology of planting and maintaining trees. Information on new uses of machinery, statistical details on plantations and acreage, and the most recent data on herbicides are also included. The late Arthur Chapman was chief of the Division of Forest Management Research at the Central States Forest Experiment Station in Columbus, Ohio. Robert Wray is retired from the U.S. Forest Service's North Central Forest Experiment Station where he was in charge of information services. He has written for various conservation and professional publications and continues to do contract editing for the Forest Service.