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 Hansen Tree Farm
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All Seasons

A tree farm and forest requires work all year long. As workers we have the responsibility of caring for the trees. In return, we enjoy watching them grow and seeing the land change through all seasons and over the years.

The past growing season was very frustrating; good early rains, no rain in July, and then non-stop rains for two months! We planted 6,000 trees this year, hoping to make up for those that died in previous dry summers. They got off to a good start but in early August about 2,000 died. However, those that made it should be in good shape for next year. That's because most root growth takes place later in the growing season, and this year we set a record for late season rain.



The tree farm calendar begins with spring planting the first week of May. We plant new fields using a tractor - driven by Mark Hansen - to pull a tree planter with Britta Hansen having the back-stretching job of placing the trees in the ground. However, we plant more trees by hand with a shovel or auger in fields where new trees are put in where one was cut down.



Weeds grow faster than trees and take precious water, nutrients, and in extreme cases even sunshine away from the baby trees! We try to control weeds all growing season with a combination of management practices.



Mulching with wood chips keeps some weeds down and also preserves moisture in the soil near the tree. Trygve Hansen unloads chips around a small balsam. Last year we used the equivalent of about 380 wheelbarrow loads of chips.



Some large, hard to kill invasive weeds must be hand weeded. Kell Hansen enjoys doing this on a hot summer day!



He finds mowing more effective, but this isn't the same as mowing your yard. It requires dodging stumps and of course the trees themselves. Kell uses a small 4-wheel drive diesel tractor pulling a 4-foot wide mower to get the job done here.



Each year every tree over 3 feet high must be sheared to give it denser foliage and a more uniform shape. Our trees are lightly pruned, deliberately creating a more open, natural look than other farms.



And, we are growing a group of balsam that are not sheared, as people have asked for this. The trees were planted in 1996 and some are big enough this year.



In the spring of 2006 we did a final "thinning" of the maturing large trees. They need enough space between them so each can get a sufficent amount of sun, water, and nutrients. Be careful so you don't fall as you walk over the branches left on the ground.



In addition to tree work, there are innumerable chores that keep us busy, and make the land more convenient and safer for you to access. A short list includes: removing stumps, grading the roads, making signs, repairing equipment, pruning mature trees and removing dead ones, eliminating poison ivy, maintaining parking areas, cutting firewood... We hope you enjoy your visit to our farm and forest.

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