New Christmas tree seed center opens in Ashe County

WUNC News – 88.5 WFDD
July 23, 2026
“For most families, a Christmas tree spends just a few weeks in the living room. But improving the next generation of trees can take decades. Justin Whitehill, Christmas tree genetics program lead at North Carolina State University, says developing seeds is a long, evolving process…”

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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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Fungus threatens North Carolina Christmas trees

WBTV News – Charlotte
December 8, 2025

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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…”

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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…”

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North Carolina Christmas Tree Research Combats Challenges for Farmers

North Carolina Field & Family
November 19, 2025
“North Carolina is the nation’s second-largest producer of Christmas trees, supplying 25% of the total U.S. crop. But environmental stress, bad weather and invasive pests challenge the industry, so North Carolina Christmas tree research is essential…”

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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?”

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What makes the PERFECT Christmas tree? – “Genetics, Genomics and…”

Genetics & Genomics Academy at NC State University
December 16, 2024
“Each year, millions of North Carolinians search for the perfect Christmas tree! Researchers at the Christmas Tree Genetics Program at NC State University use genetic and genomic technology to bring consumers like you the perfect Christmas tree — from seed to Christmas morning!…”

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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…”

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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…”

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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…”

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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…”

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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…”

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Tree Tech Talk with NC State Researcher Justin Whitehill

AgTech360
December 11, 2023
“Dr. Justin Whitehill explains how his lab is helping create a more resilient and desirable Christmas tree. He shares insights on combating root rot, thwarting insect pests, and outsmarting browsing deer…”

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N.C. PSI in the Field – Episode 4: Christmas Tree Genetics Program

N.C. Plant Sciences Initiative
Nov 29, 2023
“N.C. PSI Executive Director Adrian Percy ventures out into the mountains of North Carolina to learn about the Christmas Tree Genetics Program with Justin Whitehill. Dr. Whitehill is the Christmas Tree Genetics Program Lead and a N.C. PSI-affiliated faculty member from the Department of Forestry and Environmental Resources in the College of Natural Resources at NC State…”

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The Science of Christmas Trees

Smithsonian Gardens
January 11, 2023
“The Whitehill Lab Christmas Tree Genetics program at NC State is working to advance North Carolina and the US Christmas tree industry by addressing grower challenges and concerns through the application of genetic, genomic, and molecular biology principles. Christmas trees are an important specialty crop in the U.S. and represent a rapidly growing market. The production of Christmas trees is at the interface of agriculture, horticulture, and forestry practices. The retail value of Christmas trees in the U.S. now exceeds $2.5 billion annually…”

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How scientists are creating the perfect Christmas Tree

NBC News
December 3, 2022
“In a first-of-its-kind lab at North Carolina State, Justin Whitehill leads a team of researchers working to create super trees, Christmas trees that grow in six years instead of ten. NBC News’ Kerry Sanders sees how four decades of research are paying off just as climate change becomes an urgent challenge…”

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Christmas Countdown: Science saves North Carolina’s most classic Christmas tree

FOX8
September 17, 2022
“NORTH CAROLINA (QUEEN CITY NEWS) — Believe it or not, we are 100 days away from Christmas! But for some, the season is year-round.
40,000 acres of land is used for Christmas tree production in North Carolina. But, climate change is putting the nearly $250 million state staple at risk.
In response, there are some elves that work their magic, not on toys, but on an essential part of every family’s Christmas season. It’s not quite Santa’s workshop, but NC State’s Christmas Tree Genetics Lab…”

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Customer Spotlight: Adarsha Devihalli, PhD Candidate at North Carolina State

Azure Biosystems
January 4, 2022
“Nestled in the southern region of the Appalachian Mountains is an environmentally beneficial abundance of Fraser fir—the most sought-after Christmas tree in the USA. Thanks to its charming aroma, soft and durable needles, and eye-catching silhouette the tree forms the foundation of a multi-million dollar industry in North Carolina. It is these qualities combined with this unique geography that make North Carolina the second-leading Christmas tree producer in the United States. And while Fraser firs are heavily popular with holiday enthusiasts, they’re also extremely vulnerable to Phytophthora, a common cause of root rot disease…”

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Scientists perfecting the Christmas Tree

PBS North Carolina
December 17, 2021
“The National Christmas Tree Association tells us that more than 95 million U.S. households celebrated Christmas by displaying a Christmas tree in their homes in 2018.  About 82 percent of those were artificial trees.
Still, that’s a lot of real Christmas trees that were harvested. And to satisfy that demand, the Association says there are close to 350 million Christmas trees currently growing on Christmas tree farms in the United States.  
Roughly 16+ million real Christmas trees are sold every year and North Carolina is a major producer…”

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Deep Green Thinkers

OurState Magazine
December 2011
“No plant brings out the harsh judge, the pitiless critic, or the uncompromising shopper quite like a Christmas tree.
You don’t just buy one. You shake its branches to test sturdiness. You yank out its needles to evaluate aroma. You circle it three times to size up fatness, roundness, and symmetry — an indignity no potted palm or cactus ever has to endure.
And of all the world’s Christmas trees, none delights the critic’s eye quite like the Cadillac of trees: the Fraser fir…”

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