12 Festive Facts about the Fraser Fir

For immediate release ‐ December 19, 2019

Contact: Jessica Wackes, 919.707.9850. Images available upon request

The view from Mount Mitchell in NC. There are trees for miles!

Near the peak of Mount Mitchell stands tall the Fraser fir (Abies fraseri). At an elevation of 6,684 feet, this is the tree’s highest native habitat. The Fraser fir has a restricted range, growing naturally only at elevations above 4,500 feet in the southern Appalachian Mountains, including throughout western North Carolina.

This tree will decorate millions of homes across America during the holiday season. Many will be harvested right here in North Carolina (to the tune of 4 million!) So, what’s all the fuss about? Why are these majestic forest trees the centerpiece of our holiday hopes and dreams?

Well, you’ve heard of the 12 Days of Christmas. So, now let’s learn 12 festive facts about the Fraser fir.

  1. The Fraser fir was named after John Fraser, a Scottish botanist who explored the southern Appalachian Mountains in the late 1700s.
  2. North Carolina produces 26% of real Christmas trees in the U.S. and ranks #2 nationally for number of trees harvested annually.
  3. The iconic Fraser fir represents nearly 95% of all Christmas tree species grown in N.C.
  4. Christmas trees are raised in more than a dozen western N.C. counties (Alleghany, Ashe and Avery are among the top producers).
  5. Christmas tree farms can stabilize soil, protect water supplies and provide refuge for wildlife.
  6. In 2005, the Fraser fir was adopted as the official Christmas tree of N.C.
  7. Fraser firs are known as “the Cadillac of Christmas trees” due to their needle retention, strong branches and pleasant aroma.
  8. It can take between 7 to 10 years to grow a 6- to 7-foot Fraser fir.
  9. Since 1961, a North Carolina Fraser fir has appeared as the official White House Christmas tree a record 13 times.
  10. Fraser fir branches and trunks are biodegradable and can be made into mulch for your garden, unlike plastic trees!
  11. While the Fraser fir is the only fir indigenous to the Great Smoky Mountains National Park, a tiny invasive insect called the Balsam Wooly Adelgid has killed 90% of mature fir trees in the park since 1962.
  12. The interior tree in the N.C. Capitol rotunda is always the winner of the N.C. Christmas Tree Association’s contest. This year’s winner hails from the Cartner Christmas Tree Farm of Newland, North Carolina.

A massive Christmas tree in front of the NC Capitol building.

 

by Micah Beasley, PR & Marketing Coordinator

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