AVERY COUNTY, North Carolina (QUEEN CITY NEWS) — On Monday, October 28, the White House field superintendent picked out a Christmas tree from a farm in western North Carolina. Cartner Christmas Tree Farm in Newland will display one of its trees in the Blue Room of the White House.

This comes at a time when farmers are asking those who want to help WNC in the wake of Helen to buy real trees.

Official White House Christmas Tree from Avery County

“Frasier Fir is the Cadillac of Christmas trees,” said Tracy Taylor, superintendent of the Upper Mountain Research Station, “and that’s why it has been selected so many times by the White House.”

The White House Christmas tree will once again come from North Carolina. Cartner’s Christmas Tree Farm was selected as the winner of the National Christmas Tree Association’s National Tree Competition, which has provided the official White House Christmas tree since 1966.

“Consumers of real Christmas trees should have a good experience with that tree,” Taylor said.

North Carolina Christmas tree growers typically have annual sales of $250 million.
Taylor says many, if not most, orchardists escaped Helene relatively unscathed, but there are concerns that damage to roads and bridges could discourage customers from buying the real deal, which could impact what has long been an economic driver in mountain communities.

“You know what I told people? If they want to help, one way to help is to buy real Fraser fir from North Carolina this year,” Taylor said.

How Buying a Real Christmas Tree Could Help Western North Carolina’s Recovery

The Tar Heel State has approximately 1,300 growers producing Fraser fir on an estimated 40,000 acres. This type of tree represents 96% of all trees grown in North Carolina and is primarily grown in the western part of our state.

Taylor’s team works to extend the life of the Christmas tree after it is harvested.

“So the trees grow faster, which is good for producers,” he said. “They have a better shape, better needle retention, which is good for consumers. So our goal is simply to create a better tree for producers and for consumers of real Christmas trees.

The research center’s trees were grafted in 2018. They hope to have significant seed production around 2026. From seed to living room, the trees will still take about 10 to 12 years.

On Wednesday, they kick off the harvest season and offer tours of their research center.

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