{"id":4416,"date":"2024-12-13T16:03:08","date_gmt":"2024-12-13T16:03:08","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.rayonier.com\/stories\/?p=4416"},"modified":"2026-01-29T18:24:03","modified_gmt":"2026-01-29T18:24:03","slug":"how-evergreen-boughs-are-responsibly-harvested-from-working-forests","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/forestrycareers.com\/stories\/how-evergreen-boughs-are-responsibly-harvested-from-working-forests\/","title":{"rendered":"How Evergreen Boughs are Responsibly Harvested from Working Forests"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Evergreen species native to Rayonier\u2019s Pacific Northwest forests produce high-quality and high-value branches for the holiday decor industry.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n

Around the holiday season, you might catch yourself humming the tune, \u201cDeck the Halls\u201d \u2013 a popular and classic Christmas carol with the familiar line, \u201cdeck the halls with boughs of holly.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

But have you ever stopped to wonder what \u201cboughs\u201d are and where they come from?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In the Pacific Northwest, Rayonier working forests grow millions of pounds of evergreen boughs each year for commercial wreath and garland production. Contracted companies work alongside Rayonier to sustainably produce, harvest and sell this highly sought-after forest product. It is one of many products Rayonier working forests grow in addition to timber. Other examples include salal used in floral arrangements; pine straw used in landscaping; edible mushrooms; and saw palmetto, which is used in men\u2019s health products.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"
Crews load thousands of pounds of boughs from Rayonier land into a truck to be prepared and sold for holiday greenery. \/ Photo by Gus Gerrits<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

What are boughs?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Simply put, evergreen boughs are branches from evergreen trees. Each year, over the course of just three months, about 1 million pounds of boughs are collected from Rayonier land. Commercially, evergreen boughs are used in decorative holiday decor items like wreaths, swags, garland, centerpieces and other holiday greenery.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Favored tree species include true firs, such as noble and Pacific silver fir, and cedars such as western red and Port Orford cedars. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cBoth of these species command higher prices,\u201d explains Aurelio Quintero, Forestry Technician Silviculture Forester for Mount Saint Helens Reforestation and Hugo Reforestation. \u201cWestern white pine is also a desirable species. The boughs are sold by the pound to manufacturing companies in the Pacific Northwest and other states. They specialize in the creation of decorating products sold as retailed items.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Cedar
Cedar boughs are one of the popular holiday evergreens used in garlands and other holiday greenery.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Holiday demand for evergreen boughs<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Florists and holiday decor makers look for certain bough specifications for use in end products. Such specifications include branch symmetry, a dark green or blue needle color, closely clumped secondary branches, and a disease-free plant. Typically, noble fir is used to make wreaths and swags, while the western red cedar is popular for use in garlands.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

To get the ideal bough, Aurelio\u2019s team works with Rayonier year-round to manage and assess the working forest.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWe first conduct an inventory of tree densities and quality of the bough producing stands,\u201d says Aurelio. \u201cThis is done by establishing fixed radius plots in the tree stands of the desired tree species. The information obtained is used to determine the presence of needle diseases, bough density, annual tip growth, needle color and bough harvesting height. During harvest, we look for good color and good needle retention.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Immediately after harvest, boughs are kept in coolers to keep them fresh. Then they are sold and shipped out to decor manufacturers. The season is short, but requires contractors and their crews to work quickly and efficiently.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe demand at Christmas time is intense,\u201d says George Brulotte, Senior Development Manager for Rayonier. \u201cIt\u2019s short and intense. Most of the harvesting season takes place from mid-September to mid-November. With harsh winters known to our area, crews will often find themselves battling snow and icy conditions, or getting snowed out of the forest. Timing is very important in this industry.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Fir
A wreath made of natural fir branches is decorated with other natural ornaments like pine cones, walnuts and cinnamon sticks.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

How boughs are sourced for the holidays<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

As it does with other forest products, Rayonier contracts with companies like Mount Saint Helens Reforestation to produce, collect and extract boughs from our working forests.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Several techniques are used to harvest the boughs. They are extracted during mature harvests and during thinning operations<\/u><\/a>. In another method, tree topping, large sections of branches are removed from the tops of mature trees. But the most common method is pole cutting.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Working among stands of trees ranging from 10 to 20 years of age, harvesters will use 10- to 30-foot-long poles. The tools have a cutting shear on one end and are operated with a rope from the ground. Sections of branches are cut off of certain species of trees, measuring between 18 to 30 inches long.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cAs the timber is growing, we\u2019re harvesting boughs,\u201d explains Gus Gerrits, Business Development Manager at Rayonier. \u201cOnce the trees reach a certain age, the harvest teams go out and do a first harvest on those trees.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"
Rayonier boughs are moved into a truck using a conveyor belt. \/ Photo by Gus Gerrits<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Sustainable cutting practices are important to the current and future health of the trees. According to Gus, harvesting should be \u201coff collar,\u201d meaning you only remove the tips of the branches so that the tips will grow back. If done properly, the new growth can be harvested again in two to three years.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cImagine the trees at eight feet high,\u201d says George. \u201cThe crews cut the bottom branches off, leaving a certain ratio of the crown so it doesn\u2019t slow the tree\u2019s growth too much. A few years later, the trees will have grown up and out more. They can go back to that same stand and harvest boughs off of those same trees again. If they do it right, you can hardly tell they harvested.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cBough cutting must be done in a way that allows for annual growth and development of the branches,\u201d agrees Aurelio. \u201cDone properly, the trees thrive, and more bough tips regenerate within a relatively short time.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Each year, crews cut from a new section of the forest to allow for regeneration in previously harvested areas.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThey go around the forest in a pattern-like schedule,\u201d says Gus. \u201cThis is a sustainable approach that Rayonier requires of our contractors.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

After the cutting team has cut the boughs, a gathering team creates 30- to 50- pound bales. The bales are then moved one-by-one to the edge of the road. If they\u2019re in a steep area or far from a road, they are bundled into a 1000-pound string of bales that will be extracted by helicopter from within the stand. Bundles are then loaded into hauling vans and tractor trailers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Fireoplace
A holiday fireplace mantel is adorned with with a fir bough, candles, ceramic houses and bells.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

A consistent and sustainable forestry product<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Despite recent economic downfalls, bough production and sales have been fairly stable. This is mostly due to consistent, sustainable silviculture practices and proper cutting techniques.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThere is a lot more to bough production that the industry is learning about,\u201d Aurelio says. \u201cNew practices are being developed for the sustainable creation of bough producing stands. Furthermore, new creative decorative designs are being introduced to the market every Christmas season.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

To learn more about other Rayonier forest products businesses, visit https:\/\/www.rayonier.com\/our-businesses\/land-resources\/<\/u><\/a>. <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Evergreen species native to Rayonier\u2019s Pacific Northwest forests produce high-quality and high-value branches for the holiday decor industry.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":4419,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"ryn_post_video":""},"categories":[1,3],"tags":[83,84],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\r\nHow Evergreen Boughs are Responsibly Harvested from Working Forests | Rayonier Stories<\/title>\r\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Learn about how evergreen boughs go from Rayonier forests to Christmas wreaths in a sustainable process.\" \/>\r\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\r\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/forestrycareers.com\/stories\/how-evergreen-boughs-are-responsibly-harvested-from-working-forests\/\" \/>\r\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\r\n<meta property=\"og:type\" 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