RALEIGH (AP) — Now that Thanksgiving dinner is out of the way, the busy season has started for North Carolina’s multimillion dollar Christmas tree industry.
Agriculture Commissioner Steve Troxler says fresh, state-grown Christmas trees will be available at stands and farmers markets this weekend, as well as at farms in the western part of the state, where most of the trees are grown.
More than five million Christmas trees are harvested annually from North Carolina’s 1,000 or so growers, making it the second-largest producer in the country. The industry generated about $85 million for the state’s economy last year.
This year, growers are also donating about 1,000 trees to military families at Marine Corps Air Station New River, Camp Lejeune, Fort Story in Virginia and Fort Bliss in Texas.