North Carolina Christmas Trees

— Written By Mitch Williams and last updated by
en Español / em Português
Español

El inglés es el idioma de control de esta página. En la medida en que haya algún conflicto entre la traducción al inglés y la traducción, el inglés prevalece.

Al hacer clic en el enlace de traducción se activa un servicio de traducción gratuito para convertir la página al español. Al igual que con cualquier traducción por Internet, la conversión no es sensible al contexto y puede que no traduzca el texto en su significado original. NC State Extension no garantiza la exactitud del texto traducido. Por favor, tenga en cuenta que algunas aplicaciones y/o servicios pueden no funcionar como se espera cuando se traducen.


Português

Inglês é o idioma de controle desta página. Na medida que haja algum conflito entre o texto original em Inglês e a tradução, o Inglês prevalece.

Ao clicar no link de tradução, um serviço gratuito de tradução será ativado para converter a página para o Português. Como em qualquer tradução pela internet, a conversão não é sensivel ao contexto e pode não ocorrer a tradução para o significado orginal. O serviço de Extensão da Carolina do Norte (NC State Extension) não garante a exatidão do texto traduzido. Por favor, observe que algumas funções ou serviços podem não funcionar como esperado após a tradução.


English

English is the controlling language of this page. To the extent there is any conflict between the English text and the translation, English controls.

Clicking on the translation link activates a free translation service to convert the page to Spanish. As with any Internet translation, the conversion is not context-sensitive and may not translate the text to its original meaning. NC State Extension does not guarantee the accuracy of the translated text. Please note that some applications and/or services may not function as expected when translated.

Collapse ▲

It’s no secret that Christmas trees are a big part of the agricultural landscape of North Carolina. So big in fact that North Carolina is number two in the nation in Christmas tree production. The only state in the nation that produces more trees than North Carolina is Oregon. We grow so many trees that nearly one in five real Christmas trees purchased in the United States can be traced back to a farm in North Carolina. There are over 40,000 acres of Christmas trees in North Carolina, and over 4 million trees cut here and sold every year!

The tradition of putting up a Christmas tree is nothing new. In fact, decorating with evergreens in December dates back longer than Christianity. Pagans, in ancient Rome, used fir branches to decorate around the time of the winter solstice. The evergreen branches reminded them of the spring to come and that plants would grow again.

The Christmas tree as we know it has its roots in Germany, sometime in the 1500s. Evergreen trees were then decorated with real candles, please don’t try that today! The candles helped to recreate the scene of stars in the winter night which twinkled through evergreen branches. Christmas trees were not a hit at first in the United States, in fact, in the early 1800s, many thought they were an oddity. Americans then viewed them as pagan symbols, and did not accept them into part of the Christmas celebration. By the mid 1800s, Queen Victoria had accepted the Christmas tree as a part of the royal family traditions in Britain. This had a strong effect on Americans, and began to popularize the idea. By the 1890s, Christmas trees had become a part of the American family tradition, with one noticeable difference from European trees. The Europeans preferred small trees, while Americans chose trees which reached from floor to ceiling.

A real Christmas tree also has benefits that extend beyond the decoration in our homes. Before being cut and sold, Christmas trees help to clean the air, and convert carbon dioxide to oxygen. It is estimated that for each acre of Christmas trees, enough oxygen is supplied for the needs of 18 people. That means here in Local Christmas TreesNorth Carolina, Christmas trees provide oxygen for almost a million people, and if you look nationwide, they provide for an estimated 18 million people. That’s a lot of fresh air! Not only that, trees help to prevent soil erosion, provide a habitat for wildlife, and protect our water supply. Since there will be demand for Christmas trees every year, once they are harvested, new trees will be planted to take their place. The benefits of a real tree don’t stop after Christmas either. A used tree can be mulched and used in the garden, or placed whole in the backyard where it will provide habitat and shelter for small animals and song- birds before it biodegrades. Whole trees can also be used by construction companies to help prevent soil erosion. Some are even sunk into ponds to provide habitat and shelter for fish.

The Fraser Fir remains the most popular tree in North Carolina, however, it is not the only option. The Fraser Fir grows very well in the mountain counties of our state, but it is not well suited for the higher temperatures we see in our neck of the woods. That doesn’t mean we can’t grow Christmas trees here though. Did you know that there are farms right here in Lee County where you can visit, choose, and cut your very own Christmas trees? These farms offer excellent choices of trees, including, but not limited to, White Pine, Leyland Cypress, and Red Cedar. This means when buying a Christmas tree, there is yet another opportunity to support North Carolina agriculture, and to shop local! Christmas tree sales are starting up here in the county, so I hope you will consider buying from local distributors and growers. Either way, if you have a real tree, there is a good chance that you are enjoying one of the many quality products of North Carolina Agriculture.

Mitch Williams is the Agriculture Agent – Field Crops and Livestock for North Carolina Cooperative Extension in Lee County.