NC Fraser fir graces the White House

You may have seen recently in the news or on social media that the White House Christmas tree came from a farm in North Carolina. In fact, this was the 16th NC tree to grace the White House since 1971. North Carolina is No. 2 in the United States in production of Christmas trees, behind only Oregon. While Oregon tree farms grow Douglas fir, Noble fir, Nordmann fir, and Grand fir primarily, about 96% of the Christmas trees grown in North Carolina are Fraser firs.
 
Fraser fir (Abies fraseri) is a needle-leaf, evergreen conifer named after Scotch botanist John Fraser. It is native to high elevation areas of the Appalachian Mountain area of North Carolina, Tennessee, and Virginia. Like all species of fir, it is a member of the Pinaceae family, which also includes other conifers such as the pines, spruces, hemlocks, and cedars.
 
Because of its fondness for high elevation and the Appalachian climate, Fraser fir, as you might imagine, does not grow particularly well in Eastern NC. Our heat and humidity cause many issues, leading to poor growth and disease. Despite this, the Fraser fir remains an important tree statewide, as nearly all of us who choose to have a real tree at home during the Christmas season, or a wreath or garland for that matter, end up choosing a Fraser fir.

This 20-foot Fraser fir was selected from a Christmas tree farm in western North Carolina to be the official White House Christmas tree for 2024. Fraser firs can reach heights of 30-55 feet.

When grown in the right environment, Fraser firs will reach a mature height of 30-55 feet tall by 10-25 feet wide. In nurseries and on Christmas tree farms, they will be pruned fairly intensely during the early portion of their lives, in order to achieve an ideal shape and branch density. They grow best in full sun, and well-drained acidic soil. Fraser firs have a vibrant scent which many have come to associate with Christmas and thus items such as Christmas candles attempt to replicate that familiar aroma.

Above left: Fraser fir cones have visible bracts that curl downward. Bracts are modified leaf-like structures that cover the developing seeds within the cone. Photo: CC-BY-SA 2.0 Above right:  The needles of the Fraser fir are fragrant and long-lasting, making them ideal for Christmas trees. Photo: D.B. Gleason, CC-BY-SA 2.0.

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Fraser fir trees are monoecious, meaning that female and male reproductive structures are found on the same plant. Each tree, therefore, is capable of producing cones. The cones are 1-3 inches long, and mainly purple-brown, with yellow-green scales and bracts that curl downward. When the cones mature, the scales, bracts, and seeds drop simultaneously, leaving just the woody core of the cone on the tree.

Though the vast majority of our North Carolina Christmas trees are Frasers, there are some Eastern Carolina Christmas-tree growers who raise other evergreen trees better suited to the environment in the Eastern half of the state. These include Leyland cypress, Eastern white pine, Virginia pine, Eastern red cedar, Arborvitae, and Arizona cypress. Each of those has a slightly different appearance and growing preferences, however they all share the general characteristics of being evergreen trees with a classic conical ‘Christmas-tree’ shape.
 
Matthew Stevens is the County Extension Director and Horticulture Agent for North Carolina Cooperative Extension’s Pitt County Center. If you have questions about this article or gardening in general, please contact the Pitt County Extension Master Gardeners at [email protected] or 252-902-1705.