Shearing Demonstration

A pine, fir, or spruce needs to be sheared to become an attractive Christmas tree.  In the case of pines, an unsheared tree that is 7 ft. tall may only have 4 or 5 sets of branches!  That's not the look most people desire in a Christmas tree.  We shear to get a nice full looking tree while retaining a natural appearance.  Here's Lisa getting a nice White Pine in shape for the upcoming season.

This tree has been sheared for the last few years and has a nice full appearance.  In order to keep the Christmas tree shape, Lisa has to remove any of the branches that are sticking out too far.  She uses a shearing knife to accomplish this.  Note that her free hand is behind her back and that she is wearing protective leg guards.

In this photo, Lisa has almost completed shearing with the knife.  It has gone from being too wide at the base and too "shaggy" to the standard Christmas tree shape and look.  Next she switches to a hedge clipper to finish the tree.

In this final photo, Lisa is putting the finishing touches on this White Pine using a small hedge clipper.  This tree will be ready for your living room this Christmas season.