[TICKING].
CHARLIE: HEY, YOU ALWAYS GOTTA BE IN THE BACKGROUND.
[INAUDIBLE CHATTER]
[MUMBLING AND STUTTERING]
KIRBY: WHERE ARE WE?
CHARLIE: WHAT’S UP GUYS?
I’M CHARLIE, KIRBYS ON CAMERA AND PATRICK’S OVER THERE.
TODAY WE’RE IN CORVALLIS, OREGON AT HOLIDAY TREE FARMS
CHECKING OUT SOME CHRISTMAS TREES.
[ALARM BELL].
[FIREWORKS].
CHARLIE: ALRIGHT, SO WHILE TRAVELING UP THE WEST COAST
LAST SUMMER WE PLANNED A PRETTY AWESOME SIDE TRIP
TO PROBABLY THE MOST FESTIVE PLACE IN THE ENTIRE
WORLD SAVE FOR THE NORTH POLE, CORVALLIS, OREGON.
YOU SEE, THE BOOM TIME CREW LOVES CHRISTMAS,
AND NATURALLY, ONE OF OUR FAVORITE PARTS
ABOUT CHRISTMAS IS THE TREES.
THERE ARE 350 MILLION CHRISTMAS TREES GROWING
ON FARMS IN THE U.S. RIGHT NOW.
YOU CAN FIND THE MOST IN THE STATE OF OREGON.
THE BEST TREES IN OREGON ARE GROWN IN THE WILLAMETTE VALLEY,
AND THE TOP TREE FARM IN THE WILLAMETTE VALLEY IS
RIGHT NEAR CORVALLIS, HOLIDAY TREE FARMS.
THEY’RE THE LARGEST CHRISTMAS TREE SUPPLIER
NOT ONLY IN THE VALLEY, OR EVEN IN OREGON,
OR EVEN IN THE U.S.
THEY’RE THE LARGEST CHRISTMAS TREE PRODUCER
IN THE ENTIRE WORLD!
PRETTY INTENSE STUFF.
SO, WE HAD TO GO CHECK IT OUT.
SO WE MET UP WITH SOME FRIENDS, MARK AND JEFF,
THEY WORK AT HOLIDAY, AND THEY WERE NICE ENOUGH TO SHOW
US AROUND AND CLUE US IN AS TO HOW THEY GROW THEIR TREES.
MARK AND JEFF HAVE 6.5 MILLION CHRISTMAS TREES ON THE GROUND
IN THEIR FARM, AND THEY ALL START AS SEEDS INSIDE
THIS BIG OLD REFRIGERATOR, THEIR SEED BANK.
THESE SEEDS ARE STORED AT A CHILLY 0 DEGREES FAHRENHEIT
THROUGHOUT THE YEAR UNTIL IT’S THEIR TIME TO GROW.
AFTER WAITING IN THE FRIDGE FOR A BIT,
EACH SEED IS PLANTED IN SOIL, PREPPED,
AND GROWN SUPER CLOSE TOGETHER IN THE NURSERY.
THERE ARE USUALLY OVER A MILLION CHRISTMAS TREE
SEEDLINGS GROWING IN THE GREENHOUSES
AT HOLIDAY TREE FARM.
THEY’LL WAIT HERE FOR ABOUT 2 MONTHS, GETTING WATER,
SOAKING UP THE SUNLIGHT, BEING CARED FOR,
SOMETIMES GETTING A NICE SAWDUST SHOWER, YOU KNOW,
JUST HANGING OUT AND GROWING A BIT.
SO IT TAKES ABOUT 6 OR 7 YEARS FOR THESE TREES
TO BECOME FULLY GROWN, THEN IT’S HARVEST TIME.
EACH YEAR THEY HARVEST A MILLION CHRISTMAS TREES
AT HOLIDAY TREE FARMS FOR THE CHRISTMAS SEASON.
1 MILLION, THAT’S A LOT OF TREES.
AND THEY HAVE TO HARVEST EVERYTHING SUPER QUICKLY,
BECAUSE EVERYONE TENDS TO WANT THEIR CHRISTMAS TREES
AT PRETTY MUCH THE SAME TIME.
SO WHAT’S THE FASTEST WAY TO GET 1 MILLION CHRISTMAS TREES
OUT OF THE FIELD AND READY TO SHIP AROUND THE WORLD?
SO THEY COULD USE TRUCKS, OR LIKE A BUNCH OF ATVS,
OR MAYBE THEY COULD FLOOD THE PLACE LIKE A CRANBERRY BOG?
THOSE MIGHT WORK, MAYBE, BUT THEY FIGURED OUT ANOTHER WAY.
THIS IS WHERE THINGS GET PRETTY EPIC AT HOLIDAY,
BECAUSE THE FOUND OUT THE BEST WAY TO MOVE CHRISTMAS TREES
AROUND IS BY HELICOPTER.
IT’S SO NEAT!
THEY SENT US SOME OLD HARVEST FOOTAGE TO CHECK OUT
AND IT’S INSANE.
HERE’S HOW IT WORKS.
FIRST, WORKERS CUT DOWN THE TREES WITH CHAIN SAWS
AND THEN CHUCK THEM INTO PILES.
THOSE PILES ARE BUNDLED UP.
THEN THE HELICOPTERS FLY OVER CARRYING ENORMOUS
HOOKS DANGLING DOWN ON LONG CABLES.
THE COPTERS WILL PICK UP THE BUNDLES,
ZIP OVER TO A TRUCK OR A PROCESSING AREA,
AND KIND OF SWING THE TREE BUNDLE OVER
AND THEN DROP THEM.
THEN THEY’LL JUST ZIP RIGHT ON BACK TO PICK UP ANOTHER.
THESE PILOTS ARE INSANELY SKILLED,
THEY BARELY SLOW DOWN AS THEY TRANSFER BUNDLE AFTER BUNDLE
OF CHRISTMAS TREES, GETTING THEM READY FOR DELIVERY.
AFTER HARVESTING IT’S TIME TO SHIP!
HOLIDAY SENDS THEIR CHRISTMAS TREES ALL OVER THE WORLD,
TO HAWAII, MEXICO, CENTRAL AMERICA, GUAM, EVEN TO ASIA,
TO HELP PEOPLE ALL ACROSS THE WORLD HAVE
A MORE FESTIVE HOLIDAY.
OUR TIME AT THE CHRISTMAS TREE FARM WAS SO GREAT,
AND WE LEARNED SOME PRETTY NEAT STUFF TOO.
MOST IMPORTANTLY, THAT ALL CHRISTMAS TREES
ARE NOT THE SAME.
CHECK OUT THE THREE SHOTS OF CHRISTMAS TREES RIGHT HERE.
ALL OF THESE ARE SOLD AS CHRISTMAS TREES,
BUT THEY’RE ALL DIFFERENT.
SO IF YOU THINK THAT THESE TREES LOOK PRETTY MUCH
EXACTLY THE SAME, YOU’RE NOT ALONE.
WE COULDN’T TELL THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN ANY
OF THE TREES WE SAW AT HOLIDAY.
SO MARK AND JEFF ALWAYS HAD TO CLUE US IN ON
WHAT KINDS WE WERE LOOKING AT, THEN PAT AND KIRBY,
WHO WERE WORKING THE CAMERAS, WHISPERED THE NAMES AT THE
BEGINNING OF EACH SHOT SO WE’D KNOW LATER ON.
PATRICK: NORDMANN.
KIRBY: NOBLE.
PATRICK: NOBLE, DOUGLAS FIR.
KIRBY: NORDMANN, NOBLE.
PATRICK: NOBLE, GRAND FIR.
KIRBY: DOUGLAS.
PATRICK: DOUGLAS, NORDMANN, NORDMANN, DOUGEY.
KIRBY: DOUGLAS.
PATRICK: DOUGLAS, DOUGLAS.
KIRBY: DOUGS, DOUGS, NOBLE BABIES.
IS THIS A NOBLE OR NORDMANN?
JUST KIDDING, NORDMANN BABIES.
CHARLIE: BUT AFTER OUR TOUR OF THE FARM,
WE PRETTY MUCH GOT IT DOWN, SO,
BUCKLE UP BUDDY ‘CAUSE IT’S TIME TO BECOME
A REAL TRUE CHRISTMAS TREE AFICIONADO.
ALRIGHT SO BASICALLY YOU’VE GOT YOUR THREE MAIN
TYPES OF CHRISTMAS TREES: PINE, FIR, AND SPRUCE.
THE SECRET TO TELLING THEM APART LIES HERE,
IN THEIR NEEDLES OR BASICALLY THE LEAVES OF THE TREE.
SO YOU CHECK OUT THE NEEDLES.
IF THEY’RE IN A LITTLE PACK, LIKE THE NEEDLES COME
IN A BUNDLE OF 2, OR 3, OR 5, THEN GAME OVER,
YOU’RE LOOKING AT A PINE.
YOU CAN REMEMBER IT LIKE THIS, PACK OF PINE,
YOU GOT A PACK PINE THERE, YEAH?
A PACK OF PINE.
COOL, COOL, I THINK YOU GOT IT.
IF THE NEEDLES AREN’T IN A PACK,
THEY GROW AS SINGLES THEN YOU HAVE A FIR OR A SPRUCE.
BUT WHICH ONE?
LET’S CHECK IT OUT.
SO REACH INTO THAT TREE, IF THE NEEDLES ARE PRICKLY
AS HECK, LIKE THEY’RE SUPER POINTY AND IT JUST KIND OF
HURTS TO TOUCH THE TREE, THEN YOU HAVE A SPRUCE.
SPRUCES ARE THE WORST, BECAUSE EACH NEEDLE ENDS
IN A SHARP POINT.
IT’S LIKE A TINY LITTLE SWORD.
IT’S ABSOLUTELY BRUTAL.
SO, PRICKLY SPRUCE.
PRICKLY NEEDLES, SPRUCE, AWESOME.
IF THE NEEDLES ARE PRETTY SOFT THEN YOU HAVE A FIR.
FIR NEEDLES ARE ROUNDED OFF AT THE END.
THEY’RE MUCH NICER TO THE TOUCH.
SO, SOFT FIR.
SOFT, FIR.
PRICKLY SPRUCE, SOFT FIR.
PRICKLY SPRUCE, SOFT FIR… I THINK YOU GOT IT.
EASY ENOUGH TO REMEMBER.
AND IF YOU’RE STANDING THERE LIKE,
“WHAT THE HECK CHARLIE,
I STILL HAVE NO IDEA WHAT THE HECK THIS IS!”
THERE’S ONE MORE TEST YOU CAN DO.
PICK OFF ONE OF THOSE NEEDLES AND
TRY TO ROLL IT BETWEEN YOUR FINGERS.
SPRUCE NEEDLES ARE FOUR SIDED, AND
THEY SHOULD ROLL PRETTY EASILY.
FIR NEEDLES ARE FLAT,
THEY SHOULD BE PRETTY TOUGH TO ROLL.
SO SPRUCE WILL ROLL, FIRS WILL NOT.
SPRUCE ROLLING PRETTY NICELY.
FIRS DON’T REALLY BUDGE.
AFTER THAT, YOU SHOULD PRETTY MUCH HAVE IT.
SO LET’S REVIEW.
PACK, PINE, BOOM, EASY.
NOW FOR THE SINGLE NEEDLE TREES: PRICKLY, SPRUCE.
SOFT, FIR.
OR, IF THAT SUCKER ROLLS, IT’S A SPRUCE.
IF IT DOESN’T ROLL, IT’S A FIR.
OH SHOOT, LOOK AT YOU, YOU CHRISTMAS TREE EXPERT,
READY TO IMPRESS ALL OF THE LADIES AND FELLAS
NEXT TIME THE HOLIDAYS ROLL AROUND.
HOLIDAY TREE FARM’S TOP SELLING TREE IS THE
DOUGLAS FIR AND IT’S KIND OF ALRIGHT I GUESS.
I MEAN, THEY’RE FIRS SO THEY’RE PRETTY SOFT.
THEY’RE KINDA BLUISH GREEN SO THEY LOOK KINDA NICE.
AND THEY HOLD THEIR NEEDLES FOR A WHILE.
BUT THERE’S ANOTHER TREE THAT DEFINITELY HAS
A STRONGHOLD ON OUR TOP SPOT.
WE FEEL LIKE, LIKE CLUMPED PINE NEEDLES AREN’T REALLY
CLASSIC CHRISTMAS SO WE’RE NOT GONNA GO WITH A PINE.
AND SPRUCES ARE THE WORST BECAUSE THEY’RE PRICKLY
AND HURT WHEN YOU TOUCH THEM,
AND WHO WANTS A CHRISTMAS TREE THAN CAN INJURE YOU.
THE UNOFFICIAL OFFICIAL NATURE BOOM TIME ENDORSED
CHRISTMAS TREE IS THE BEAUTIFUL, THE LUSTROUS,
THE IMPECCABLE, GRAND FIR.
THESE TREES ARE BEAUTIFUL.
THESE BEAUTIES RETAIN THEIR NEEDLES FOR AGES BUT,
BEST OF ALL, THEY HAVE A SMELL THAT JUST
KICKS IT OUT OF THE PARK.
THE SMELL OF CHRISTMAS IS THE SMELL OF A GRAND FIR,
NO QUESTION ABOUT IT.
IT BRINGS YOU BACK TO EVERY GINGERBREAD HOUSE,
EVERY SNOW MAN, EVERY SWEET HEARTWARMING
HOLIDAY MEMORY EVER EXPERIENCED.
IT’S THAT GOOD.
I’M EXAGGERATING, BUT LIKE ONLY A LITTLE HERE.
SO NEXT TIME THE HOLIDAYS ROLL AROUND,
LOOK OUT FOR ONE OF THESE BAD BOYS, A GRAND FIR,
THE OFFICIAL UNOFFICIAL CHRISTMAS TREE
OF NATURE BOOM TIME.
[FIREWORKS]
