Plan a fun trip to the North Carolina mountains Christmas tree farms
It’s that time of year to decorate for Christmas. Why not head to the North Carolina mountains Christmas tree farms and choose your own right in the field? Did you know the most popular Christmas Tree is the Fraser Fir and 96% of all the Christmas trees grown in North Carolina are Fraser Fir? The Fraser Fir grows naturally only in the southern Appalachian in elevations over 4000 feet due to the cool temperatures and the amount of rainfall. There are over 30,000 acres of Fraser Fir tree farms in North Carolina with over 50 million Fraser Fir Christmas trees grown in the state. North Carolina is one of six states that are top producers of Christmas trees.
It takes about 7 years to grow a Fraser Fir Christmas tree before it would be large enough to sell and 12-15 years to reach full maturity. The trees have to be repeatedly pruned over the years to get the shape of a perfect tree for Christmas. When ready for harvest the grower marks the tree with colored ribbon to identify the different heights. Then the trees are cut by chain saw, then baled then packed onto trucks for transportation to lots and retail stores to be sold to the public.
There are also Choose and Cut Christmas tree farms where you can go to choose the tree you want and the staff will cut that tree and wrap it for you to take home and decorate. The are over 75 North Carolina Choose and Cut Christmas Tree farms. The counties with the most Choose and Cut farms are Alleghany, Ashe, Avery, Haywood, Mitchell and Watauga.
Start a new tradition and make a trip to a North Carolina Choose and Cut Christmas Tree farm in the mountains of North Carolina and discover what fun it is to walk through a Fraser Fir Christmas tree farm on a brisk cold day and pick your own tree with the family. The kids would love it. A trip to the mountains to a Christmas tree farm can be a day trip or make it an overnight trip and make it really special.
Once you get your North Carolina Fraser Fir Christmas tree home and decorated make sure to follow these tips.
- Make a fresh cut at the base of the tree just before putting the tree in the tree stand.
- Fill the tree stand with fresh water and check the water level every day.
- Make sure all strings of lights are in good condition.
- Don’t overload too many light strings on an electrical socket.
- Use a proper type of electrical extension cord.
- Do not place the Christmas tree close to a fireplace or other heat source.
To find out more about North Carolina Fraser Fir Christmas tree or to find a Choose and Cut Christmas tree farm see NC Christmas Trees. Plan that trip now to the North Carolina mountains Christmas tree farms, it will really get you in the holiday spirit. And the fresh smell of a Fraser Fir tree farm on a cold winter day- so memorable!