Spring day on a Christmas tree farm.
These trees won't be in the sun long. They will be placed in storage before shipping.
Award winning North Carolina Christmas Tree Association's
"Got to be NC" themed tree in the National Christmas Tree Association's
annual Gallery of Trees competition.
North Carolina Christmas Trees By The Numbers
5-6 million:
Christmas trees harvested annually$100 million
Estimated wholesale value of Christmas tree crops harvested. The retail value is $250 million or more.30,000+:
Approximate Christmas tree acreage in production statewide$25 million
Estimated retail of value-added products produced by North Carolina Christmas tree growers including wreaths, roping, swags, table decorations, and mailbox decorations.1,500:
Estimated number of Christmas tree growers1/10th to over 1,000 acres:
Range in farm sizeAt least 20 square feet:
Amount of greenspace available to wildlife for each Christmas tree grown.100:
Least amount of times each Christmas tree is visited to be shaped, fertilized, and otherwise cared for.5+:
Age of some eastern grown species when harvested. Fraser fir, which is slower growing, is typically 10+ years to harvest.More than a dozen:
Christmas tree species grown in North Carolina for Christmas trees. Trees include Fraser fir, Canaan fir, Concolor fir, Nordman fir, Turkish fir, blue spruce, Norway spruce, white spruce, eastern red cedar, Leyland cypress, 'Carolina Saphire' Arizona cypress, 'Blue Ice' Arizona cypress, 'Green Giant' arborvitae, white pine, Virginia pine, and Scotch pine. However, 96% or more of production is the state's native tree, Fraser fir.Zero:
Amount of waste from a cut Christmas tree — a completely recylable, renewable product.Need more information about Christmas tree production? Contact the Christmas tree specialist at NCSU, Jeff Owen (jeff_owen@ncsu.edu); the NCDA marketing specialist in western NC, Bill Glenn (bill.glenn@ncagr.gov); or the NCDA marketing specialist in eastern NC, John Snipes (john.snipes@ncagr.gov).
Created September, 2011