bough picking-wreathmaking

[PEATMOSS]

Just wondering if anyone else on here involves themselves in this craziness. I've spent the last month working 16 hour days picking boughs, making wreaths,swags,garland etc., decorating and delivering.

Our family has our own shop and we wholesale to garden centers, schools and charitble organizations. We've been doing this for about 10 years now as a side business and use the $ we make fo vacations, toys and a college fund for the kids.

Anyone else involved in this?

[DARK30]

If you were any closer, I'd get a wreath from ya.

[Graybuck]

Bough picking is a great way to make some extra money for the season, tho I am getting tired of what some do to access the boughs. I help maintain one of the local snowmobile trails. In the past, boughers have climbed the tree and tipped it over to get boughs, now I find they are cutting the trees down to get more. If done correctly it is a renewable resource, but not when they cut the trees down!

[Duffman]

Graybuck!!!!

Long time, no see! I hope all is well.

[Graybuck]

Hey Duff, how goes life, things are good here. Been spending any time up north?

Have you chased the legless salamanders much this year? It has been a while since I have been into the lake, my youngest son and a friend have been getting some bows in the lake just to the east this year. I hope to get out a bit more this year and catch some fish thru the ice. Good luck fishing.

[russ]

I agree. During the 3rd week of deer season we saw a group harvesting boughs with Polaris Rangers and 6 wheel Polaris rigs. That in itself is not an issue but the fact that they were slogging through wetlands and swamps, tires spinning throwing mud and vegetation in the air was the problem. We witnessed the same outfit in two different locations. It wetland areas looked terrible when they got done. Are they allowed to tear up wetlands just because they are collecting boughs? I think not!

[croixflats]

I used to do this for a nursery years back. Loved doing it. We were fortunate that the nursery had 180 acres in the back to get our boughs and dogwood and vibernum twigs. Lots of junipers and yews and pines to pick from as every fall we would plant the unsaleable shrubs and trees back there and over the years you can imagine the bounty that accumulated. And the birds that came with it