By on 12.21.20 in NC in Focus

North Carolina plays a major role in our end-of-year holidays: we lead the nation in sweet potato production and are also one of the largest producers of Christmas trees, producing over 20% of the nation’s real trees.

This year, in the midst of the pandemic, tree prices have risen dramatically as a result of so-called “panic buying”. If you’ve waited to pick up a tree, move quickly!

Before we break for the holidays ourselves, we’d like to share a few holiday facts and figures that relate to North Carolina.

$67 million

Total sales in dollars of Christmas trees in 2019, according to the USDA National Agricultural Statistics Services (NASS).

North Carolina ranked second only to Oregon, which sold $110 million worth of Christmas trees.

4 million

Total Christmas trees harvested in 2017, the latest year of data, according to the USDA National Agricultural Statistics Services (NASS).

In terms of production, we lagged Oregon by about 700,000 trees.

10

The number of Christmas Tree Associations operating at the state and local level in North Carolina. These groups provide information to growers, retailers, and consumers alike.

If you have yet to pick out a tree, they can help you identify the closest farms in your area as well as find information on mail-order trees and wreaths.

$25 million

Estimated retail of value-added products produced by North Carolina Christmas tree growers, including wreaths, roping, table décor, and others.

3.8 million

The number, in pots, of poinsettias sold by NC farmers in 2018, according to USDA NASS. In poinsettias, North Carolina also ranks second in production!

McAdenville, North Carolina

Want to see the best holiday lights in the state?

Also known as “Christmas Town USA”, McAdenville in Gaston County, NC features a 1.3 mile-long route of amazing light displays.

USA Today even ranked it #4 in the nation for Best Public Holiday Lights Display this past year! If you are looking for something festive to do this holiday, they will still be operating light tours in limited capacity.

 


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