Dave Faherty for WSOC
More than 1,000 Christmas trees are going to military families in North Carolina and Georgia.
Dozens of growers across Ashe, Allegheny, Avery,, Mitchell, and Watauga counties donated the trees to thank them for their service.
The trees will go to several bases, including Fort Benning, Fort Bragg, and Marine Air Station Cherry Point, this week.
Growers from Ashe County arrived Tuesday morning with trailers filled with Christmas trees.
There were 40 growers donating Christmas trees as part of the Trees for Troops program.
The Christmas Spirit Foundation has worked with Fed Ex and the growers to provide trees for thousands of troops for 21 years.
‘Grow smiles’
Channel 9’s Dave Faherty spoke with the growers Tuesday about their efforts to brighten Christmas for the troops.
Rusty Barr brought this trailer full of Christmas trees donated from his farm in Ashe County. He will never meet the service members and their families who will receive the free Christmas trees, but he hopes to make a difference for the men and women who serve our country.
“There’s a lot of families who have been in several conflicts,” Barr said. “A lot of people deployed and maybe the wives or the husbands are there by themselves, so it’s a great benefit for families. One little expense they don’t have to bear during the holiday season.”
Grower Charles Sturgill said his grandparents served in World War I and World War II.
“We enjoy life so much because we get to grow smiles,” said Sturgill, with Sturgill Tree Farms. “Every time we send a Christmas tree out, we make someone smile on Christmas morning.”
Power player
North Carolina is a power player in the Christmas tree industry.
The state is the nation’s second largest producer of trees.
Frasier fir is by far the dominant species grown in North Carolina, according to the N.C. Christmas Tree Association.
It’s the go-to for its soft needles, long-lasting smell, and stronger branches for the heaviest ornaments.
Tariffs could help sales across the North Carolina mountains, growers said.
The price of artificial trees is expected to rise 10% to 20%.
Last month, Channel 9 visited Christmas tree farms in Avery County.
One grower said prices for real trees have pretty much held steady for the last two years.