Whitehill Lab - NC State University Christmas Tree Genetics Program

With nearly $7.5 million in funding, the Whitehill Lab - NC State University Christmas Tree Genetics Program is leading a project to accelerate the genetic improvement of Christmas trees across the United States. 📹: Check out some of the highlights of the team’s research. Learn more: http://ncst.at/FwvP50Ut187

Merry Christmas from the Whitehill Lab - NC State University Christmas Tree Genetics Program!

Merry Christmas from the Whitehill Lab - NC State University Christmas Tree Genetics Program! We hope everyone gets time to gather today with family and friends around your Christmas tree!

Congrats to Dr. Whitehill and Dr. Oten!

This is a very busy time of year for the NC State Christmas Tree Genetics lab. The media engagement and interest in the labs activities have been high this holiday season and the stories we've been able to share about our research, the industry, and our colleagues has been a joy.

NPR's "All Things Considered" featured our very own Dr. Whitehill discussing some of the challenges facing the industry. Close program friend and collaborator Tracy Missy Taylor, NCDA Upper Mountain Research Station Superintendent, is also featured and shares his perspective.

https://www.npr.org/2024/12/02/nx-s1-5206409/the-race-to-save-the-fraser-fir-a-popular-christmas-tree

North Carolina Christmas Tree Association Eastern North Carolina Christmas Tree Growers Association Real Christmas Tree Board NC State University NCSU Extension Forestry Jerry Moody

Thank you Meteorologist Elisa Raffa for going the word out about NC!

🎄❄️RESILIENT TREES: Rusty Barr, a Christmas tree farmer in Jefferson, NC lost 270,000 seedlings in #Helene floods, impacting this year's distribution. But he's hopeful for the future. Some of these trees are genetically built to grow faster & more resistant to warmer, wetter winters. The work at Whitehill Lab - NC State University Christmas Tree Genetics Program is helping these farmers combat pathogens, insects, & root rot in a warmer climate. CNN

The North Carolina Christmas Tree Association’s top priority is the well-being of our farmers, their families, their workers (which are like family), industry partners, friends, neighbors, and all those navigating the devastation of Hurricane Helene. North Carolina is the second largest Christmas-tree producing state in the country, with 96% of the Christmas tree production based in the Western North Carolina mountain region. We do not expect the aftermath of Hurricane Helene to have a significant effect on the supply of real North Carolina Fraser fir Christmas trees this holiday season.
Christmas tree farmers are resilient, and they possess the grit and determination to overcome the most challenging circumstances.

While Helene is the most catastrophic storm most have seen in their lifetime of living in the Western North Carolina Mountains, Christmas tree farming is a livelihood and a large economic contributor to the Western North Carolina Mountain Region. It will take some time to fully assess the extent and implications of damage to Christmas tree farms affected by the hurricane, but our farmers have weathered the storm and are ready to persevere. Our Christmas tree farmers are committed to harvesting their trees and delivering North Carolina Fraser fir Christmas trees to retailers across the country.

At this point, we are still gathering information from our farmers regarding the extent that their farms were impacted by the storm. The next step will be working together to create a plan for harvest and shipping as we prioritize the safety and welfare of our farmers, their families, and their workers.

We are grateful for the outpouring of support from neighbors, friends, volunteers from various areas and states, and the tremendous amount of support and guidance from our ag community including the North Carolina Department of Agriculture & Consumer Services, local NC State University Cooperative Extension Centers, elected officials, and partner organizations.

We have a long way to go, but we have every confidence that in November, we will welcome our faithful friends to our local choose and cut farms and our wholesale Christmas trees will be on their way down the mountain, ready to help families celebrate the merriest season of all.

Many have asked how they can support Christmas tree farmers in Western North Carolina. Be sure to buy a REAL Christmas tree, preferably a North Carolina Fraser fir, but any real tree helps support what we dedicate our lives to do.

For the most up-to-date information on Christmas tree availability please visit www.NCchristmastrees.com

Jennifer Greene
Executive Director

If you are a farmer struggling after Hurricane Helene, know that you are not alone. The NC Farm Help Line is available now for folks in our agricultural community to talk to someone who understands farm stress.

Call or text the NC Farm Help Line at 844-325-3276 for support, available 24/7. Let's talk and find help together.