Communities in Ashe County and elsewhere in western North Carolina are still putting themselves back together in the aftermath of Helene.
“This whole event has brought out what I would say is the best in people,” said Amber Scott, part owner of Cline Church Nursery in Fleetwood, N.C., which provided the 2023 White House Christmas tree. “It’s been quite incredible, the outreach we’ve had from all over the country and even outside of the country, of people wanting to give and donate. It’s been quite a humbling experience.”
While farmers may be nervous about worsening climate conditions, they are well versed in dealing with unpredictable weather.
“Everybody wants to know, is it climate change? Are things getting worse?” Sidebottom said. “I don’t get paid enough to know that, but you know, farmers have always had to deal with weather and uncertainty because of the weather.”
“Things are changing,” Whitehill said. “We need to be prepared for what the future brings. And pretty much every grower I work with, when I phrase it that way, they are on board 100% with that approach.”
Christmas tree growers in the United States also face challenges with the availability of labor and the rising costs of land.
“Most Christmas tree production, especially harvest, is labor intensive and you have to work no matter what the weather is like,” Sidebottom said. “And most people don’t like to work that hard or may physically not be capable of working that hard.”
Like the rest of the agricultural industry, Christmas tree farms rely on the labor of immigrants to harvest and transport the product. McClain, the president of Ashe County Christmas Tree Association, said all of the workers at her farm, Hart-T-Tree Farms, come in from Mexico through temporary agricultural work visas.
“We have the same guys come back year after year,” McClain said. “If we did not have access to that program, we would not find a U.S.-based workforce to harvest our trees.”
Data shows an increased reliance on that labor in the state. The number of migrant workers approved to work in North Carolina’s agriculture, forestry and fishing industries has increased nearly 50% from 2018 to 2024, according to an NBC News analysis of U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services data.
Most farm crops are harvested the same year they’re planted. Not Christmas trees. The uniquely long time it takes to grow — a median of 7 years, but as many as 15 — makes any significant changes to the industry slow to start. Today, the industry is still recovering from the fallout of the 2008 recession, when decreased demand led growers to plant fewer trees, constraining the supply for years to come.
“The industry isn’t like a race car,” said Sidebottom. “It’s more like a train. It takes a long time to get things chugging, and it takes a long time to put the brakes on it, too.”
Despite the harrowing year, this holiday season is still a source of light for Christmas tree farmers in Ashe County.
“When folks have their slideshows, of their family members, you’ll see those Christmas photos,” Freeman, the owner of Mistletoe Meadows. “And what’s always in that Christmas photo is that Christmas tree. It just to me, it reiterated the fact that the Christmas tree is sort of the centerpiece of the home for your family during Christmas.”
“Farming always has its challenges, and farmers are very resilient,” Freeman said. “And I think our harvest and selling season has gone well this year. It’s been a good, good season for Christmas trees.”
Joe Murphy and Jiachuan Wu contributed.
