Arts & Crafts - Brenda Blevins of Ennice (left) talks to a customer during the annual arts and crafts fair. Despite lingering snow, between 500 and 1,000 people came to the event at the Emerson Black Exhibition Building on Choose and Cut Day Dec. 6. More photos appear on Page 12B.

Tree growers enjoy record sales in ‘03

Western North Carolina Christmas tree growers are finishing what apparently was another record season statewide.

"We believe we sold about 4.5 to 5 million trees this year, up from 4 to 4.5 million trees last year... This year's (wholesale) sales should bring about $115 million into North Carolina," up from about $110 million in 2002, said N.C. Christmas Tree Association Executive Director Linda Gragg last week.

Gragg said wholesale prices this year are about the same as in 2002, except in cases where growers didn't raise their prices last year. The state has about 1,600 wholesale growers.

She said roughly another 150,000 N.C. Christmas trees were sold by about 400 choose and cut operations, with this year's choose and cut sales up about 10 to 20 percent over the 2002 season. Choose and cut income increased to well over $4 million this season.

About 95 percent of Christmas trees grown in North Carolina are Fraser firs and the majority of Frasers come from the Northwest N.C. counties of Alleghany, Ashe, Watauga and Avery. These trees generally must be grown in elevations not less than 3,000 feet above sea level.

About 1,000 of the state's growers maintain 10 acres or less of trees. Ashe is the state's top Christmas tree county with about 450 growers. Avery has about 200 growers and Alleghany and Watauga both have about 150 to 200 growers.

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