Floods in North Carolina wiped out much of this years crop
of ConsumerAffairs
Christmas tree sales will likely increase Thanksgiving weekend, and if there are fewer live trees to choose from, you can blame Hurricane Helene.
North Carolina is a center of Christmas tree farms and several were devastated by Helenes massive late September floods. Trinity Tree Company at Avery Farms, a third-generation family operation, lost 80,000 trees.
Besides creating a shortage of trees this year, owner Graham Avery says it may be 15 years before operations can recover. The floods not only destroyed the current crop of trees, it brought in pollution that poisoned the soil.
"It's going to be a tremendous amount of money to strip all this land back down, to take the dirt and start all over," owner Graham Avery told WJHL-TV. "It's millions of dollars, and its many years. Its just awful."
The farm is located in the western part of North Carolina, which was the hardest hit region. Other Christmas tree farms in the region also suffered damage.
North Carolina sells more than 3 million Christmas trees per year and is a key market for seasonal decorations. In 2022, tree farms in the state produced $144 million in revenue.
Because of the long lead time it takes to harvest a Christmas tree, there few other producers not affected by the floods can do to alleviate any shortage. North Carolina is the second-largest grower of Christmas trees, just behind Oregon.
Oregon farmers tend to supply trees in the western states while states East of the Mississippi River are largely served by North Carolina farmers. The Frasier fir is the most common live Christmas tree grown in North Carolina.
Photo Credit: Consumer Affairs News Department Images
Posted: 2024-11-22 19:40:44
