Dry weather did not hurt Yule tree crop

The relatively mild, dry weather recently has not hurt the Christmas tree crop in western North Carolina, according to Jeff Owen, area Christmas tree specialist with the N.C. Cooperative Extension Service.

"The current dry spell is one more chapter in a four-year drought cycle in which every autumn has been dry," said Owen. "This year has been easier than recent years for the Fraser fir Christmas tree industry overall."

Owen is stationed at the Mountain Horticultural Crops Research and Extension Center in Fletcher.

He said that despite dry conditions the last month, the mountains got enough rain during the Fraser fir growing season. "The trees took up needed nutrients and grew properly," he said. "While sporadic, it rained in the mountains through the summer and early fall, with three to four inches in mid-October."

Get the rest of this article in this week's issue of the Alleghany News! Back