North Carolina Christmas Trees

---

Christmas Tree Portal Home | Information for Consumers | Information for Growers | Information for Retailers
Additional Resources | NCSU: MHCR&EC Home

Blocks of Christmas trees provide an extension of the neighboring forest for wildlife which will also provide farm farmilies and communities with income.
(Photo courtesy Cline Church Nursery)

These test plots, developed by NCSU researchers, show growers how trees will develop using different shearing techniques.

An imaginative way to decorate for the holidays using fresh greenery.

Importance of Christmas Trees to North Carolina

Christmas tree production in North Carolina has progressed from a few individuals harvesting Fraser fir in natural stands or cedars along fence rows to the plantation production of Fraser fir and other species which, even with the recent economic downturn, is estimated to generate $100 million yearly wholesale income. (For more information on how the industry got started, see: History of the North Carolina Christmas Tree Industry). Practically all Christmas tree plantations in North Carolina are family owned and operated. Many of these business started in the 1950s, 60s and 70s with the children of the original growers now taking over the business. But these farms are important to more than the families that own them. They support the local economy, preserve farmland, and provide greenspace for wildlife. (For other facts about Christmas tree production in North Carolina see: Christmas Trees by the Numbers.)

Fraser Fir Tops in North Carolina

The number one species grown in North Carolina is Fraser fir, named for Scottish botanist John Fraser who explored the High Country in the late 1700s. Fraser fir is native to the highest mountain peaks in western NC, eastern TN, and southeastern Virginia and is a close relative of balsam fir, one of the traditional Christmas tree species in eastern North America. However Fraser fir, because of its home in the clouds, has developed characteristics that allow to hold its needles longer after being cut. (For more information on how well Fraser fir and other Christmas tree species rate as cut tree see: Table on Postharvest Quality Ratings for Christmas Trees). Because of its cultural requirements, Fraser fir is primarily grown in the mountains at elevations above 3,000 feet.

Christmas Tree Production in the Eastern 2/3rds of NC

Christmas tree production in the eastern part of the state developed as people moved from the farm to the city and could no longer cut a tree out of the woods. Local farmers started planting eastern red cedar and white pines to sell. The species grown east of the mountains do not hold their needles as well as Fraser fir, and so they are not shipped to other areas but are sold exclusively in choose & cut farms. These farms now offer much more than just a tree from the woods. Superior trees have been selected and propagated to produce higher quality Christmas trees. Eastern Christmas tree farms typically offer six or more different species of conifers. Many also sell cut Fraser fir from the mountains.

Christmas Tree Production Is Hard Work

Christmas trees don't grow themselves. Trees have to be shaped, fertilized, treated for pests, and ground covers managed to prevent competition with the slower growing Christmas trees. The seedlings that are planted are typically several years old. From there it takes many years of continuous care to produce a Christmas tree, and during that time anything can happen, from late spring freezes to droughts.

Harvesting is one of the most challenging times of year for Christmas tree farmers. Trees are cut and baled for storage and shipping. Maintaining tree freshness is of paramount importance. Fresh trees keep their needles better, and they also do not pose a fire hazard. Customers often want to know from the retailer when the tree was cut, but that really isn't the important question. Even a Fraser fir that is cut and left in the sun will be dried out within a day or two. However Fraser fir that is cut and stored in the shade with high humidity and displayed in water can last for months.

How Christmas Trees are Sold

In the mountains where Fraser fir is produced, most growers sell their trees wholesale, though choose & cut farms are also plentiful. Wholesale growers may sell to big box stores, garden centers, groups for fundraisers, and independent Christmas tree lot operators. Some growers run their own Christmas tree lots, often many states away from where they grower their trees. Some growers also sell individual trees and wreaths through mail order, shipping directly from their farm to consumers' homes. Though growers primarily sell cut Christmas trees, a few also offer living Christmas trees which are balled and burlapped and can be replanted after the holidays. And both fresh cut and living Christmas trees can be found in farmer's markets throughout the state, including those run by the North Carolina Department of Agriculture in Asheville), Greensboro, Raleigh, Lumberton, and Charlotte. (For information on these and local county farmers markets in North Carolina, see the NCDA&CS Farmers Markets). In addition to selling Christmas trees, many growers also produce wreaths, roping, swags, table arrangements and other value-added products featuring the evergreen foliage of Fraser fir, other conifers, boxwoods and holly. (For more information on where to find your own real North Carolina Christmas tree see: Where to Buy Your Real Christmas Tree).

Christmas tree production has been an important part of the agricultural economy in North Carolina for more than 50 years. North Carolina State University and the North Carolina Cooperative Extension continue to help growers produce the best tree possible. But it is through the support of the consumers who choose to celebrate Christmas with a real farm-grown tree instead of an artificial "tree" that the industry will continue to prosper.

Updated October, 2011