The signs “fir tippers wanted” this time of year can be puzzling, so here’s the scoop for those of you who don’t live in Maine.
- Christmas wreath makers need stands of evergreens to shape into their festive rings. In Maine, the traditional material is the tips of balsam fir branches. Don’t confuse the inch-long needles for spruce or hemlock.
- “Tippers” are the folks who have the skills to collect tips that usually range between 12 to 20 inches.
- Quality needles are found only in the mid-section of the tree. Tops and bottoms are deemed unsuitable.
- The season is short. The greens cannot be collected before the “tips” are set when a tree goes dormant for winter, usually around November 1, and that’s if the stand has had three nights of 20-degree or lower nights. (Beware of global warning.) Any earlier and the tips lose their needles prematurely. But the wreath-makers do need to get the product to market before Christmas Day, too. It gets busy.
- Millions of wreaths are crafted in the state each Christmas season. The trees are abundant and the fir branches are easily worked. Balsam is pleasant to smell, too.
- The work is a welcome boost in income for many rural families and comes after the crops are in.
- Tips can be harvested by a firm grasp between forefinger and thumb followed by a quick downward motion. Loppers or pruners do the trick for more out-of-the-way tips.
- Skilled tippers leave enough on a tree for it to recover in about three years.
- The tips are commonly gathered on a “stick” made of a small conifer stripped of most of its branches. When the stick has 40 to 75 pounds of tips, it’s carried off. Bundling the tips into smaller bunches is another method of transport.
- Tippers do need to get permission before harvesting from a site. Sometimes that means paying a fee for a permit.
– Source: University of Maine Cooperative Extension Service
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