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Local tree farmers ready evergreens for Christmas season
By Samantha Blanton
Beginning in June and continuing through the summer, Jackson County Christmas tree farmers are preparing the evergreens that will brighten thousands of homes next December.
Currently, local farmers are shearing, or trimming, the trees, to give them that traditional “Christmas tree” look. It includes cutting the leader – the top – to slow the tree’s upward growth to give it a more compact shape.
Some farmers shear year-round because their farms are so large, but most farms in our area only prune trees from July to January.
Shearing is now under way on Jackson County’s Christmas tree farms. Jeff Owen, of N.C. State University, top right, recently conducted a shearing workshop for local growers and field workers.
“Routine maintenance takes place year round. Trees are tagged to be cut and weeds are pulled or sprayed,” said Christy Bredenkamp, horticultural agent with the N.C. Cooperative Extension Service.
According to Bredenkamp, Christmas trees require a lot of hands-on work. Locally, the bigger farms hire laborers to help with shearing and spraying, but many small farmers take care of such maintenance themselves.
A tree must grow for six years to be 6 feet tall, which is the normal wanted height for a Christmas tree.
“The market is changing, people now want a 7- or 8- foot tall tree,” Bredenkamp said.
The trees are five years old when planted; and they are around 2 feet tall.
“Farmers don’t shear until the tree has been growing in the field for two or three years, though sometimes they trim the tops or hand-prune,” she said.
By the end of summer, most farmers have decided how many trees they will harvest the following fall, she said.
Jackson County has some 175 growers, which ranks it fifth or sixth among North Carolina counties, Bredenkamp said. Nationally, the Tar Heel State ranks second to Oregon in terms of Christmas tree production.
Of the trees that come out of the county, 60 percent are grown in the Canada area, and the rest are from Cashiers, Big Ridge, Norton and Pine Creek.
Farms range from 2 acres to the largest, Tommy Beutells’ Wolf Creek Tree Farm, which totals 600 acres.
Christmas trees are grown on 2,000 acres in Jackson County. Usually there are 1,700 trees per acre. More than 99 percent of North Carolina’s Christmas tree production is in Western North Carolina, Bredenkamp said.
The evergreens are North Carolina’s main crop, bringing in $9.5 million, including sales of wreaths and garland.
The local Extension Office offers one-on-one consultations, teaching about different kinds of insects and pesticides. Frequent workshops bring specialists or guest speakers in to aid area farmers.
One event, sponsored by the extension office and the Christmas tree farmers is “Trees for Troops.” Growers donate trees and send them to military bases.
“Last year, around 500 trees were sent to Fort Bragg. The office is planning to sponsor the event again,” Bredenkamp said.
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