Christmas tree supply plentiful despite Helene, but some worry about the future crops

North Carolina produces about one in five Christmas trees sold in the U.S., including the 20-foot Fraser fir chosen to grace the White House this year. Local sellers say this season’s crop is good despite the impact of Helene. But some in the industry worry about Christmases yet to come.

At Roger Hester’s Christmas tree lot in Lewisville, North Carolina, the final trim is being made on a Fraser fir.

He’s been selling here every holiday season for more than 30 years. His lot is a couple of hours away from where the tree matured in the Blue Ridge Mountains. Hester says the damage from Helene made it tough to reach the trees.

“Any farm that’s across a creek with a little bridge, and any tractor roads that were worn out were destroyed," he says. "They all had to be rebuilt just so we could get over there to get the trees.” 

Despite the logistics, he says he’s been able to get as many trees as he needs, and his lot is filled with greenery. In fact, he’s really pleased with this year’s crop.

“I think we've got prettier trees this year than I've had in four or five years, actually,” he says.

That’s a message that’s been hard to get out this year, says Justin Whitehill. He runs the Christmas tree genetics program at North Carolina State University. 

Whitehill says he’s heard rumors about prices skyrocketing, and growers not having enough to offer. But that’s not what he sees and the narrative could hurt during a time of need.

"The mountains have already suffered enough this year, and the Christmas tree harvest this year is really being looked at as a ray of hope,” he says. 

But that hope might be temporary. The crop damage caused by Helene is not clear yet, says Jennifer Greene, executive director of the North Carolina Christmas Tree Association.

“Christmas trees are unlike any other agricultural crop," she says. "You can't replant in the spring what they just lost from the hurricane, and then it be ready next season. It's an eight- to 10-year rotation.”

That’s a problem for Waightstill Avery. He grows Fraser firs on land his family has owned for more than 200 years. Much of his crop is high on slopes. But he also has a low-lying area on a river. That’s where he says he lost 60,000 trees from flooding. Many were still years away from maturity. 

“This damage you’ll see will be eight years down road. That’s where you’ll see it," he says. 

For now, he wants people to buy real Christmas trees, as there are plenty this year that are affordable. He doesn’t want buyers to be scared off by rumors of higher prices. 

“If it gets so much, they’re going to be looking and saying ‘Maybe we should buy an artificial,’" he says. "And that’s what we don’t want. We don't want our markets to go to where people even think that. We want them to where it to be a family tradition for everybody.” 

Avery says buying a North Carolina Christmas tree this year will help in the recovery as the floods from Helene all but wiped out the fall tourist season in much of the region.