The North Carolina Christmas Tree Industry is ranked second in the nation in number of trees harvested and first in the nation in terms of dollars made per tree. The North Carolina Fraser fir Christmas tree is the most popular Christmas tree in North America and is shipped into every state in the U.S. as well as the Caribbean Islands, Mexico, Canada, Bermuda, Japan and other points all over the world. There are over 400 Choose and Cut Christmas tree farms in North Carolina. Individual Christmas tree growers may sell anywhere from a few dozen trees per year to hundreds of thousands of trees per year. Real trees are a renewable, recyclable resource.
Trees absorb carbon-dioxide laden air and send out fresh oxygenated air.
Currently the number of Christmas trees growing in North Carolina would supply the daily oxygen supply for the entire population of greater Charlotte area. Christmas trees are recyclable as coastline barriers against erosion, in lakes and ponds for fish nesting and as mulch for gardens. The tree fields also provide habitat for small wildlife. It takes as many as 12 years to grow a tree of average retail height which is 6-7 feet. For each North Carolina Fraser fir harvested, there is at least one transplant put back in its place.