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Wreath and Garland Production Planner from Tree Trimmings

Turns your pile of trimmings and boughs, your crew's hours, and your supplies on hand into a clear production plan: what to make, how many, in what order, and what you still need to buy.

Christmas tree lotRetail✓ Checkedv1.2

Before and after

BEFORE · what the owner typed

ok so its Dec 3 and we've got a mess of trimmings out back. mostly Fraser and some Doug, maybe 40 bundles Fraser and 25 Doug, bundles are about armful size. Cedar too, like 10 bundles. I have 3 people but really only 2 can do crafts, about 4 hrs a day each til Dec 14 when we close for the season. I want to do 14 inch wreaths and 24 inch wreaths and garland by the foot. I have 30 rings at 14 inch and 12 at 24 inch. Wire is fine. Bows I have 20 red ones. Garland rope I have 100 ft. Wreaths 14 inch I price at 28, 24 inch at 55, garland is 6 a foot. 14 inch uses about 1 bundle I think, 24 inch maybe 2.5, garland about 1 bundle makes 3 feet. We do maybe 3 of the small ones an hour, 1 of the big ones an hour, garland 6 feet an hour. Got 4 orders in already, 2 big wreaths for Dec 6, 1 big for Dec 10, and 20 feet of garland for the church for Dec 9. No more cedar than that please don't use it up on wreaths, I want it for garland mix.

AFTER · what the skill produced

Quick summary
You can fill all 4 orders right away. Material is the main limit, not labor. Your current bundles cover the orders but not the full stock plan, which is short by 19 bundles of Fraser or Douglas. Two people at 4 hours a day from Dec 3 through Dec 14 is 12 days, which gives 96 crafting hours total (2 people x 4 hours x 12 days). Dec 3 counts as a full day in this plan. If you are not crafting today, tell me and I will redo the schedule.

Material on hand

Fraser: 40 bundles
Douglas fir: 25 bundles
Cedar: 10 bundles, held for garland mix
Total non-cedar: 65 bundles

Material and labor math (rates and bundle use are your estimates)

14 inch wreath: 1 bundle each, 3 per hour. Rings limit it to 30.
24 inch wreath: 2.5 bundles each, 1 per hour. Rings limit it to 12.
Garland: 1 bundle per 3 feet, 6 feet per hour. Rope limits it to 100 feet, which needs about 34 bundles (100 divided by 3, rounded up).

Fitting the work into your hours (96 hours)

Orders first: 3 big wreaths = 3 hours and 7.5 bundles. Church garland, 20 feet = about 3.3 hours and 7 bundles (20 divided by 3, rounded up).
Stock plan:
- 9 more big wreaths (12 total with the 3 ordered): 9 hours, 22.5 bundles
- 30 small wreaths: 10 hours, 30 bundles
- 80 more feet of garland (100 total with the church order): about 13.3 hours, 27 bundles (80 divided by 3, rounded up)
Total hours: 3 + 3.3 + 9 + 10 + 13.3 = 38.6 hours. That is well under your 96 hours.

Material check

Big wreaths: 12 x 2.5 = 30 bundles
Small wreaths: 30 x 1 = 30 bundles
Garland: 100 feet needs 34 bundles
Total needed: 94 bundles. You have 65 non-cedar plus 10 cedar.
Even using all the cedar in the garland, you are short by 19 bundles (94 minus 75). If cedar stays for garland only, 10 of the 34 garland bundles are cedar, so non-cedar need is 84 against 65 on hand. You are short 19 bundles of Fraser or Douglas either way.

What this means
Material is the real limit, not labor. You have extra hours (about 57 left over, 96 minus 38.6 rounded down). You will get new trimmings from tree sales and base cuts each day, so check how many bundles come in daily. If you get about 2 bundles a day or more, the gap closes in 10 days (19 divided by 2, rounded up). This is a guess. Count your bundles on Dec 5 to confirm.

Supply check

14 inch rings: need 30, have 30. Fine, none left over.
24 inch rings: need 12, have 12. Fine.
Bows: have 20, need 42 if every wreath gets one (12 + 30). Short by 22. Decide if small wreaths get bows. If not, you need 12 and have enough.
Garland rope: need 100 feet, have 100. Fine.
Buy list: 22 more bows if every wreath gets one.

Schedule (2 people, 4 hours each per day, 8 crew hours a day)

Dec 3: Orders only, before any stock. Make the 3 ordered big wreaths (2 for Dec 6, 1 for Dec 10), 3 hours. Make the 20 feet of church garland for Dec 9, about 3.3 hours. That is about 6.3 of your 8 crew hours. Keep the finished pieces cool and out of the sun. Use the last 1.7 hours to start small wreaths.
Dec 4, 5: Make small wreaths and the remaining 9 big wreaths. Which to make first depends on what sells fastest for you (see the question below). Count your trimming bundles on Dec 5.
Dec 6: Hand over the 2 big wreaths for pickup.
Dec 8: Check the church garland. If it looks dry to you, remake it that day before anything else, since you have plenty of spare hours.
Dec 9: Church garland pickup.
Dec 10: Hand over the third big wreath for pickup.
Dec 6 to 13: Build the remaining stock garland and refill small wreaths as new trimmings come in. Make pieces in small batches so they stay fresh.
Dec 14: Final day. Mark down leftovers if you choose to.

Possible sales (your prices, if everything sells)

30 small wreaths x $28 = $840
12 big wreaths x $55 = $660
100 feet garland x $6 = $600
Total: $2,100

This assumes you can get the extra material. With only your current 65 non-cedar bundles, make the 4 orders first, then spread the remaining bundles across what sells best.

Leftover trimmings
You will not have leftovers right now. If new trimmings arrive faster than you can use them, consider bagging some for customers if you want to.

Check after day one

Time the first 5 small wreaths and 2 big wreaths to confirm your rates.
Weigh or count one finished wreath's bundles to confirm your estimate.
Count new trimming bundles at the end of the day.
Keep trimmings and scrap piles away from heaters and lights, and check your local fire rules.

Questions for the owner

Which of your products sell fastest on your lot, small wreaths, big wreaths, or garland? I will put that one first in the stock schedule after the orders.

What it does

Turns your pile of trimmings and boughs, your crew's hours, and your supplies on hand into a clear production plan: what to make, how many, in what order, and what you still need to buy. It also helps you decide what to make first so the product is fresh and on the shelf when customers are shopping.

Use it when: Use when a Christmas tree lot owner wants to plan how many wreaths, garlands, swags, or table pieces they can make from tree trimmings and leftover boughs, such as "what can I make from these trimmings," "plan my wreath production," "how many wreaths can we make this week," or "we have a pile of branches, what do we do with them."