Buy a tree on Amazon or browse lots of trees, trees in North Carolina are "lush, beautiful" | Local news

"People in the area know that buying Christmas trees online has been going on for over 20 years. Amazon is just coming to market this year, "said Doug Hundley, Seasonal Spokesperson for the National Christmas Tree Association.

"It's a very small percentage of buyers, one or two percent of tree sales. But one or two percent is still significant when you plan to sell 27 million trees. "

The owner of the Avery County Tree Grove, James Pitts, said that he had started shipping trees to individual owners nationwide about 12 years ago.

This year, Amazon lists live Fraser Fir 6 to 7 feet at a price of $ 109.99, free shipping and an arrival date of three to five days from the date of the order.

"We ship our trees to homeowners in California, Texas and New York," said Pitts, owner of Sugar Plum Farm. "Joining the market by Amazon will not hurt us. We will place our trees against those of anyone; they look really good this year. "

But while Pitts has shipped trees all over the world, he prefers the traditional experience of choosing and cutting his Newland tree farm to more than 2,000 families visiting this year.

With free refreshments, hay rides and Santa apparitions, it's more about the experience of selecting the perfect tree, Pitts said.

The North Carolina Christmas Tree Association lists 37 selected and cut farm options on its website.

Last year, about 27% of families bought their trees on cut and choice farms.

"We are happy about that. We think the beauty of real Christmas trees is the experience of picking up a tree with the family, "said Hundley, who lives in the Boone area.

"We are delighted that the millennial generation and the new young families are continuing the tradition."

According to the National Tree Tree Association, 26% of families purchased trees in a chain of stores, such as Walmart or Home Depot, as a result of select-cut farms that enjoyed growing popularity last year.

Retail lots accounted for 19% of buyers, nurseries and garden centers accounted for 15% and non-profit groups, such as Scouts and churches, accounted for 10% of tree sales.

Despite rumors of Christmas tree shortage that could drive up prices, Mr. Hundley said that this year's market is advertising well and that prices have remained stable over the past few years.

"Last year's alarm about a shortage was unjustified, a kind of raging train story," Hundley said. "We did not really think there would be a shortage, people bought so many trees.

During the 2008 financial crisis, Americans bought fewer trees and some growers stopped their activities or planted fewer trees, which would have had a knock-on effect since trees put seven to ten years to reach their Christmas potential.

But in 2016 and 2017, about 27.4 million trees were purchased, Hundley said, staying in line with the nine-year average of 27.8 million trees sold.

The average price per tree jumped only 50 cents between 2016 and 2017, to reach an average of $ 75 per tree.

In comparison, the price of artificial trees rose from 98.70 USD in 2016 to 107 USD in 2017, while more and more people have turned to the purchase of artificial trees.

"Here in North Carolina, we are at the center of Christmas tree production in Fraser Fir and we supply trees throughout the country. So it's a pretty healthy market, "said Hundley.

"We had abundant rainfall, the trees are lush and have grown very well."

Although the shortage of trees is not quantifiable, Pitts said he saw local forest operations suffer from the recession and some will not be open this year.

He said he has about 80,000 trees this year, compared with 110,000 during his peak years.

"There is a certain shortage in the market this year, but we have a lot," said Pitts.

"We looked ahead, knew what was going to happen and tried to plant more trees, even though people told us we were crazy."

North Carolina produces more than 20% of the country's Christmas trees.

A farm in Avery County has provided the White House with a 19.5-foot Fraser fir this year, for the 13th time in its history.

Those looking to buy a Christmas tree living in the Winston-Salem area have many options: lots of trees grow around the city during the Thanksgiving holiday.

The Mockwood Farms Christmas Tree Lot, located at the intersection of Broad and Seventh Streets, was opened at the Thanksgiving morning market with 258 trees ready for use.

The land, which has its roots in the downtown area for 85 years, was opened by the owner's great-grandfather, Randy Mock, and has been passed down from generation to generation.

"It's a tradition, it's wonderful," said his wife, Lea Mock, who is co-owner of the field.

"Just to help people and watch little kids run across" Daddy I want this one "is just amazing."

She said that, according to her experience, the biggest rush for Christmas trees takes place during the first two weekends of December.

The lot is open until December 22, every day from 9:00 to 21:00, she said.

Hundley said they generally advise people to remove the lower half-inch of the tree trunk before placing it in the water to extend the life of the tree.

Trees must also have consistent water – usually one-quarter water per inch of stem diameter – and must be kept away from heat sources, he said.

"We had abundant rainfall all year, so the trees are lush, dark green and beautiful," he said. "That should make for a magical Christmas."