News | A GIFT SEED

WSU researchers, including ‘Dr. Christmas Tree,’ are chipping in on a multi-million dollar project to develop the ideal Christmas tree

The Spokesman-Review
December 21, 2025
““Dr. Christmas Tree” is a weighty title to bestow on someone.
After 48 years of diving into the nitty -gritty of the perfect holiday foliage, Gary Chastagner has earned the moniker…”

Can We Grow the Perfect Christmas Tree?

PBS Sci NC
December 16, 2025
“Ashe County, NC is the nation’s largest producer of Christmas trees and the site of the Upper Mountain Research Station. Researchers there collaborate with NC State’s Christmas Tree Genetics Lab, using tools ranging from Petri dishes to cloning to improve Fraser fir growth, shape, needle retention and aroma. They also work to breed resistance to the soil-borne ‘tree killer’ Phytophthora.”

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Researchers Are Out to Take a Bite Out of a Big Challenge for Christmas Tree Growers: Deer

NC State University News
December 8, 2025
“Many of us count ourselves lucky when we spot a deer. For Christmas tree growers, not so much. Overnight, a hungry deer can cut a young fir tree down to a pencil-sized stem, and even light browsing can set the trees’ growth back by years.
At North Carolina State University, researchers are working on a novel way to protect the trees: covering them with a specially designed fabric that deters the deer, while letting in the light, air and water the trees need to survive…”

WSU researchers explore the scents that drive Christmas tree appeal

WSU CAHNRS News
December 8, 2025
“This fall, volunteer panelists on opposite sides of the country popped open small containers and inhaled the sometimes spicy, often nostalgic odor of six different Christmas tree species.
The sensory panels, conducted by scientists at the Washington State University School of Food Science, and simultaneously at the University of Florida, inform research for improved holiday firs that can grow fast, appeal to consumers, and stand up to a month or more of display…”

A Gift That Keeps On Giving

NC State University News
December 3, 2025
“Thanks to more than four decades of research by geneticists in the Department of Forestry and Environmental Resources, North Carolina’s Christmas tree industry is poised to thrive for many future generations. With that comes economic and environmental benefits for all of our state and beyond, no matter which holidays you celebrate…”

Christmas trees face ‘perfect storm’ of disease, drought

USA Today
November 26, 2025
“Christmas trees are facing the ‘perfect storm of mass mortality.’ Enter an effort to breed ‘elite’ Christmas trees…”

How NC State program is improving growth of Christmas trees

CBS 17 News
December 19, 2024
“The holidays are here and that means decking the halls and branches of a North Carolina Fraser Fir.
North Carolina is second in the nation in Christmas tree production, and that beautiful, Fraser Fir grows best in the southern Appalachian mountains.
So what happens as our changing climate changes the climate in which our trees can thrive?…”

Frankenstein trees: How scientists are building better Christmas trees

WRAL News
December 11, 2024
“NC State researchers are revolutionizing Christmas tree farming with a $7.5M USDA grant, using genetics to create climate-resistant Fraser firs. Dubbed “Frankenstein trees,” grafting techniques and rapid cloning aim to protect North Carolina’s iconic industry from pests, disease, and climate change…”

Dr. Justin Whitehill: Christmas tree farming

SciLine
December 11, 2024
“Nearly 100 million households display a Christmas tree, according to industry research.
On Wednesday, December 11, 2024, SciLine interviewed: Dr. Justin Whitehill, an assistant professor and lead of the Christmas Tree Genetics Program at the North Carolina State University…”

The race to save the Fraser fir, a popular Christmas tree

NPR Environment
December 2, 2024
“North Carolina’s Fraser fir is a popular Christmas tree, but it’s under threat from disease and scientists are racing to try to save it…”

Christmas Trees’ Distinctive Aroma Helps Ward off Pathogens and Pests

UC Davis College of Biological Sciences News
November 25, 2024
“Plant biologists seek the ideal scent blend to attract consumers and deter pests…”

Genetic imprinting could revitalize Christmas tree industry amid climate challenges

WWMT News Channel 3
October 24, 2024
“We’re highlighting a project to improve the growing conditions and market for Fraser fir Christmas trees…”

Growing Christmas Trees for the Future

NC State University College of Natural Resources News
September 16, 2024
“With nearly $7.5 million in funding, NC State is leading a project to accelerate the genetic improvement of Christmas trees across the United States…”

NC State Researchers Work to Create the Perfect Christmas Tree

PBS NC News
January 19, 2024
“The search for the perfect Christmas tree continues, and that’s why the NC State Christmas Tree Genetics Program has spent more than four decades working to develop “elite” Fraser fir trees…”