The first week in November marks the start of harvest season for North Carolina Christmas trees. The industry contributes an estimated $250,000 to the state’s economy. After decades of research, a trademarked line of Fraser fir seeds is now on the market.
Fraser firs are known in the industry as the Cadillac of Christmas trees: great shape, durable. But they're notoriously slow-growing — up to 30 years from planting to producing cones. So, beginning in the 1990s, researchers harvested about 28,000 seeds and planted them across the mountain region of North Carolina.
Tracy Taylor with the NC Department of Agriculture says they eventually winnowed them down to the top 25.
"We're looking for trees that grow fast," he says. "We're looking for trees that are really dense. We're looking for trees that have a good shape, and all those qualities lead to a higher market value for Christmas tree growers and a higher quality tree for consumers of Christmas trees."
Taylor says the North Carolina Tobacco Trust Fund Commission paid for a center to process, store, and now, distribute the genetically superior Fraser fir seeds. An Ashe County Christmas tree grower purchased the first seed license and pound of seed earlier this month. The trees will likely be ready to sell to customers in six to eight years.