Allegheny, Ashe, Avery: Top Christmas Tree Producers


A Fraser fir farm in Watauga County. Image from the Watauga County Christmas Tree Association.

On August 23, 2005, the Fraser fir (Abies fraseri) was adopted as the official state Christmas tree of North Carolina.

The idea came from eighth graders at Spruce Pine’s Harris Middle School who petitioned legislators to bestow the special recognition upon the popular conifer after learning of the economic impact the tree had in the state. The bill was introduced by state Representative Philip D. Frye, also of Spruce Pine.

A diagram of a Christmas tree from a 1979 state guide to growing the crop. Image from the State Library.

A diagram of a Christmas tree from a 1979 state guide to growing the crop. Image from the State Library.

Known as the Cadillac of Christmas trees, 50 million Fraser firs are grown in North Carolina. The tree was named for Scottish botanist John Fraser who explored the Southern Appalachian mountain region during late 1700s. The evergreen grows in a cone shape and can reach 80 feet.

Fraser firs represent more than 90 percent of Christmas trees grown in North Carolina. The Tar Heel State’s Christmas tree industry is the second largest in the United States, behind Oregon’s, and produces 20 percent of all Christmas trees sold in the nation.

Trees are raised in more than a dozen western counties, with Alleghany, Ashe and Avery being the top producers.

North Carolina Fraser firs are known throughout the country and North America. They have been displayed in the White House on 12 occasions, more than any other species of tree.

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