As the Christmas season shifts into high gear, it’s a busy time for growers of all types of Christmas trees, and chief among them in North Carolina is the Fraser fir, which has become the state’s – and much of the country’s – favorite type of Christmas tree. To kick of the season early, the future of North Carolina’s Christmas tree industry took center stage at the Upper Mountain Research Station on November 5, as people gathered to celebrate a milestone that has been nearly three decades in the making. The station hosted a signing ceremony for historic seed license agreements and a special Christmas tree lighting.
The heart of the event was the ceremonial signing of two license agreements governing the production and distribution of improved Christmas tree seed. One agreement covers Virginia pine seed grown at the Piedmont Research Station, while the second applies to Fraser fir seeds produced at the Upper Mountain Research Station and processed at the new N.C. Tobacco Trust Fund Christmas Tree Seed Center. [For a look at the groundbreaking for the building, see this previous blog post: https://blog.ncagr.gov/2022/12/09/new-building-will-aid-research-into-n-c-christmas-tree-production/]
“To understand how we got here, you have to go back almost 30 years. In 1998, the work began to identify, test and refine the very best Fraser fir genetics. Researchers like John Frampton at N.C. State and our own Tracy Taylor dedicated their careers to this effort,” said Commissioner Steve Troxler as he spoke during the event. “After collecting more than 28,000 trees, Frampton planted his best 305. Then he carefully selected just 25 ‘best of the best’ trees to clip and become the foundation of this seed orchard. That’s less than one-tenth of one percent of his original collection, and it shows remarkable care and dedication to scientific achievement for Fraser firs.
“The goal was simple but powerful. They wanted to create better trees for growers and better trees for families – trees that are more uniform, hold their needles longer, resist disease and look beautiful in homes across America. That work is paying off today. With that genetic material that was first collected in 1998, we now have the first seed in this Seed Center building. And by March, we expect to have that seed certified, which would make this center the only source of certified Fraser fir seed in the world. Think about that. Seed that has been tested, verified and produced right here in North Carolina will be certified for the world.”
Teresa Lambert, director of NCDA&CS’s Research Stations Division, said the event was a reflection of all that hard work over many years.
“The seed that’s now in the building represents work that started in 1998. Twenty-seven, almost 28 years later, we finally have the first seed in the Seed Center,” Lambert said. “That shows you how long it takes to do this work.”
Lambert explained that, because the university owns the intellectual property behind the improved trees’ genetics, the new agreements formalize a longstanding partnership.
“With this license agreement, it basically is a covenant, if you will, between us and the university to distribute this seed to the growers,” Lambert said. “It’s a covenant of biblical proportion.”
Troxler and Lambert outlined three major goals of the Seed Center:
1. Give North Carolina growers access to improved genetics.
“One of our objectives is to make sure growers have improved genetics and that those genetics are accessible,” she said. “This helps grow better trees for both growers and consumers.”
2. Keep seed production in North Carolina.
Seed availability has become increasingly limited. “If we’re going to continue to have Christmas trees, we need a reliable seed source,” Lambert said. “Having the seed orchard here at the Upper Mountain Research Station is going to ensure growers have that supply for decades.”
3. Produce the world’s only source of certified Fraser fir seed.
“This is the only source of certified Fraser fir seed in the world,” Lambert noted. “Technically, it won’t be certified until after observers watch the process, but that should be complete by March of 2026.”
[As mentioned in a previous article on the “In the Field” blog, certification comes from the N.C. Crop Improvement Association, which would verify the breeding, including things such as ensuring trees were placed to avoid inbreeding and checking to be sure other (non-premium) Fraser firs weren’t close enough to contaminate the desired genetics.]
A highlight in the Seed Center for the event was a unique eight-foot Christmas tree built from old burley tobacco sticks, paying tribute to the region’s agricultural heritage. The Seed Center itself sits on the exact footprint of a former burley tobacco barn.
“The roots of farming here were in tobacco,” Lambert said. “As tobacco went away, Christmas trees replaced tobacco as the economic catalyst.”
Each ornament on the tobacco-stick tree displays the name of someone who contributed to making the Seed Center a reality, including Troxler.
Troxler, who spoke during the closing remarks and tree lighting, praised the long partnership between NCDA&CS and N.C. State University and highlighted the significance of the signing ceremony.
“The work behind this Seed Center began in 1998,” Troxler said. “Today we’re seeing the results of nearly three decades of dedication, research and collaboration.”
Troxler also emphasized the symbolism of the Seed Center’s location.
“This site once held an old burley tobacco barn,” he said. “Tobacco was the lifeblood of these mountain communities for generations, and when it faded, our farmers adapted. Christmas trees became the new economic driver. That’s the story of North Carolina agriculture — resilience, innovation and faith in the land.”
He also thanked the N.C. Tobacco Trust Fund Commission for funding the building and equipment, calling their support “an investment in the future of the High Country and in one of the state’s most iconic agricultural industries.”
Troxler also gave special recognition to Tracy Taylor, former superintendent of the Upper Mountain Research Station and now director of operations for the Research Stations Division.
“[He] led the charge to make this dream a reality,” Troxler said. “Tracy would never ask for the spotlight, but he deserves it today.”
Who was there:
The event followed a full agenda of speakers and partners, including: • John Council, Superintendent, Upper Mountain Research Station • Teresa Lambert, Director, NCDA&CS Research Stations Division • Loren Fisher, Director, NCSU Research Stations & Field Labs • Dr. Justin Whitehill, Director, NCSU Christmas Tree Genetics Program • Commissioner Steve Troxler, NCDA&CS • Dr. Myron Floyd, Dean, College of Natural Resources, NCSU
Guests also enjoyed refreshments, fellowship and optional tours of the station following the ceremony.
With the signing of these agreements and the Seed Center now operational, North Carolina is positioned to remain the nation’s leader in Fraser fir production — not just in volume, but in genetic excellence.
“As we prepare to light this tree, I want you to look at it as a tree that symbolizes both our agricultural heritage and our bright future,” Troxler said. “I hope it reminds everyone who sees it that North Carolina farmers always find a way forward. From burley tobacco to world-class Fraser firs, we keep growing, and we keep shining bright.”
