CHARLOTTE, N.C. — Just two months away from Christmas Eve and the perfect holiday tree might be closer than you think.
The most popular Christmas tree sold in America is the Fraser fir. Many of those trees are grown in the higher elevations of the North Carolina mountains.
"This year is shaping up to be a perfect Christmas tree season," Travis Birdsell with Ashe County Extension said.
Birdsell said those trees thrive in cold air. There's been no shortage of cold temperatures in the North Carolina mountains, especially at night.
“We need at least three consecutive days of 40-degree temperatures to influence dormancy, which helps with the needle retention of those trees,” Birdsell explained.
All thanks to favorable weather conditions, he says this is the best needle retention they’ve seen in the past several years from the Fraser fir.
“And we’ve come to expect very high standards from those. We refer to them as the Cadillac of Christmas trees. It’s probably going to even be a little bit better this year,” Birdsell said.
Known for its aroma, soft needles, and strong branches, North Carolina growers are on schedule to ship Fraser firs across the country after the first week of November.
Contact KJ Jacobs at kjacobs3@wcnc.com and follow him on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.
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