Christmas Tree Farming (39 images)

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  • November 23, 2008. Ashe County, NC.. The Christmas tree industry in Ashe County..At the Miller's Christmas Tree Farm, 360.982.3088, Highway 16 N.. In the "Choose and Cut" section of the farm, the Walker- Wilkerson family choose tree for their homes in Salisbury, NC.. All the land for the farm used to be for cattle, but due to the difficulty of independent ranching, the farm was turned over to trees years ago.

  • November 23, 2008. Ashe County, NC.. The Christmas tree industry in Ashe County.. At the Miller's Christmas Tree Farm, 360.982.3088, Highway 16 N.. C.T. Walker and his grandson, Chase Wilkerson, age 2, look for a tree for the family living room.. All the land for the farm used to be for cattle, but due to the difficulty of independent ranching, the farm was turned over to trees years ago.

  • November 23, 2008. Ashe County, NC.. The Christmas tree industry in Ashe County..At the Miller's Christmas Tree Farm, 360.982.3088, Highway 16 N.. Jack Miller, front, cuts a tree for a customer in the "Choose and Cut" section of his tree farm.. His father used the land for cattle ranching, but when the bottom dropped out of that industry, the land was turned over to the X-Mas tree industry. . Mr. Miller says he gets about 1500 trees/acre and they ideally grow for 8 years before being cut. 9 or 10 years is the maximum time for a tree to grow before they grow together and get flat sides which makes them unsellable.

  • November 23, 2008. Ashe County, NC.. The Christmas tree industry in Ashe County..At the Miller's Christmas Tree Farm, 360.982.3088, Highway 16 N.. Jack Miller, left, carries a cut a tree for a customer in the "Choose and Cut" section of his tree farm.. His father used the land for cattle ranching, but when the bottom dropped out of that industry, the land was turned over to the X-Mas tree industry. . Mr. Miller says he gets about 1500 trees/acre and they ideally grow for 8 years before being cut. 9 or 10 years is the maximum time for a tree to grow before they grow together and get flat sides which makes them unsellable.

  • November 23, 2008. Ashe County, NC.. The Christmas tree industry in Ashe County.. Multiple signs point the way to the many X-Mas tree farms in Ashe County, which is considered the tree capitol of North Carolina, which is the second highest tree producing state in the country, after Oregon, but grosses more cash than any other state.. Over 2 million trees are exported from Ashe County alone, most being shipped in the week leading up to Thanksgiving, which is the busiest for the industry.

  • November 23, 2008. Ashe County, NC.. The Christmas tree industry in Ashe County.. Small frazier fir trees, the highest quality of the Christmas tree types, grow on a mountain hillside. Ashe Co. is ideal for Frazier firs as the altitude, soil, and temperatures are perfect for the finicky trees.. The trees are grown at nurseries until they are 5 years old and then planted. They will grow to an average of 7 to 8 feet tall, the "ideal" Christmas tree height, before being cut and sold. Some are cut smaller and larger, but the majority of sales come in the 7 to 8 foot range.

  • November 23, 2008. Ashe County, NC.. The Christmas tree industry in Ashe County.. Small frazier fir trees, the highest quality of the Christmas tree types, grow on a mountain hillside. Ashe Co. is ideal for Frazier firs as the altitude, soil, and temperatures are perfect for the finicky trees.. The trees are grown at nurseries until they are 5 years old and then planted. They will grow to an average of 7 to 8 feet tall, the "ideal" Christmas tree height, before being cut and sold. Some are cut smaller and larger, but the majority of sales come in the 7 to 8 foot range.

  • November 23, 2008. Ashe County, NC.. The Christmas tree industry in Ashe County..Trees that have grown to their desired height are cut by hand, due to the steep terrain in which they grow, and loaded onto trucks for hauling to a loading yard.. Ashe Co. is ideal for Frazier firs as the altitude, soil, and temperatures are perfect for the finicky trees.. The trees are grown at nurseries until they are 5 years old and then planted. They will grow to an average of 7 to 8 feet tall, the "ideal" Christmas tree height, before being cut and sold. Some are cut smaller and larger, but the majority of sales come in the 7 to 8 foot range.

  • November 24, 2008. Rural Virginia.. New River Tree Co. loading yard in Virginia.. New River Tree Co. has 30 full time employees and uses 60 H2A, the Federal guest worker program, workers during harvest season. Most of the guest workers are from Mexico and many return year after year to work on the same farm in North Carolina. The pay rate is federally mandated at $9/hr. and the workers are housed in government regulated housing facilities.. In the week leading up to Thanksgiving, the farm will load 30 trucks a day, with 600 tree per truck.

  • November 24, 2008. Rural Virginia.. At the New River Tree Co. loading yard in Virginia, workers wait for the semi trucks to show up and be loaded with trees, most of which are heading to Florida. All the trees are grown in North Carolina, but the closest loading area is just over the border in Virginia.. New River Tree Co. has 30 full time employees and uses 60 H2A, the Federal guest worker program, workers during harvest season. Most of the guest workers are from Mexico and many return year after year to work on the same farm in North Carolina. The pay rate is federally mandated at $9/hr. and the workers are housed in government regulated housing facilities.. In the week leading up to Thanksgiving, the farm will load 30 trucks a day, with 600 tree per truck.

  • November 24, 2008. Rural Virginia.. At the New River Tree Co. loading yard in Virginia, workers load semi trucks with trees, most of which are heading to Florida. In the week leading up to Thanksgiving, the farm will load 30 trucks a day, with 600 tree per truck.. All the trees are grown in North Carolina, but the closest loading area is just over the border in Virginia.. New River Tree Co. has 30 full time employees and uses 60 H2A, the Federal guest worker program, workers during harvest season. Most of the guest workers are from Mexico and many return year after year to work on the same farm in North Carolina. The pay rate is federally mandated at $9/hr. and the workers are housed in government regulated housing facilities.

  • November 24, 2008. Rural Virginia.. At the New River Tree Co. loading yard in Virginia, workers load semi trucks with trees, most of which are heading to Florida. In the week leading up to Thanksgiving, the farm will load 30 trucks a day, with 600 tree per truck.. All the trees are grown in North Carolina, but the closest loading area is just over the border in Virginia.. New River Tree Co. has 30 full time employees and uses 60 H2A, the Federal guest worker program, workers during harvest season. Most of the guest workers are from Mexico and many return year after year to work on the same farm in North Carolina. The pay rate is federally mandated at $9/hr. and the workers are housed in government regulated housing facilities.

  • November 24, 2008. Rural Virginia.. At the New River Tree Co. loading yard in Virginia, workers load semi trucks with trees, most of which are heading to Florida. In the week leading up to Thanksgiving, the farm will load 30 trucks a day, with 600 tree per truck.. All the trees are grown in North Carolina, but the closest loading area is just over the border in Virginia.. New River Tree Co. has 30 full time employees and uses 60 H2A, the Federal guest worker program, workers during harvest season. Most of the guest workers are from Mexico and many return year after year to work on the same farm in North Carolina. The pay rate is federally mandated at $9/hr. and the workers are housed in government regulated housing facilities.

  • November 24, 2008. Rural Virginia.. At the New River Tree Co. loading yard in Virginia, workers load semi trucks with trees, most of which are heading to Florida. In the week leading up to Thanksgiving, the farm will load 30 trucks a day, with 600 tree per truck.. All the trees are grown in North Carolina, but the closest loading area is just over the border in Virginia.. New River Tree Co. has 30 full time employees and uses 60 H2A, the Federal guest worker program, workers during harvest season. Most of the guest workers are from Mexico and many return year after year to work on the same farm in North Carolina. The pay rate is federally mandated at $9/hr. and the workers are housed in government regulated housing facilities.

  • November 24, 2008. Rural Virginia.. At the New River Tree Co. loading yard in Virginia, shipping forms await the arrival of truck drivers. The plastic band is attached to the door of the truck to assure the shipment is not tampered with en route to its destination, mainly Florida. In the week leading up to Thanksgiving, the farm will load 30 trucks a day, with 600 tree per truck.. New River Tree Co. has 30 full time employees and uses 60 H2A, the Federal guest worker program, workers during harvest season. Most of the guest workers are from Mexico and many return year after year to work on the same farm in North Carolina. The pay rate is federally mandated at $9/hr. and the workers are housed in government regulated housing facilities.

  • November 24, 2008. Rural Virginia.. Different types of Frazier fir trees grow in a tree lot just over the border in Virginia from Ashe County, NC.. The types have been separated on the farm, to test which families of trees, from slightly different areas of the state, grow the "best" to be sold commercially. The project is sponsored by NC State University, which does many experiments with tree types at the School of Forestry..

  • November 24, 2008. Rural Virginia.. Different types of Frazier fir trees grow in a tree lot just over the border in Virginia from Ashe County, NC.. Farmer Robertson looks over the trees to see which types might be best for his retail Christmas tree farm.. The types have been separated on the farm, to test which families of trees, from slightly different areas of the state, grow the "best" to be sold commercially. The project is sponsored by NC State University, which does many experiments with tree types at the School of Forestry..

  • November 24, 2008. Rural Virgina. . Mexican guest workers, members of the Federal H2A guest worker program, load a semi truck headed for Florida with Frazier firs, the highest quality type of Christmas tree.. Guest workers make up a vital part of the Christmas tree industry. During the busiest part of the season, the weeks leading up to Thanksgiving, they arrive in from other areas of the country to cut, bale, and load trees. Many local workers are year round employees of the large farms, but without the foreign guest workers, the industry could not provide the numbers of tree that the country requires.

  • November 24, 2008. Ashe County, NC.. A female Mexican worker puts wreathes together inside the wreath facility at the Furches Evergreens loading yard.. Guest workers make up a vital part of the Christmas tree industry. During the busiest part of the season, the weeks leading up to Thanksgiving, they arrive in from other areas of the country to make wreathes,cut, bale, and load trees. Many local workers are year round employees of the large farms, but without the foreign guest workers, the industry could not provide the numbers of tree that the country requires.

  • November 24, 2008. Ashe County, NC.. On one of the lots that is owned by Furches Evergreens, baled trees sit waiting for the tractor that will haul them down the hillside to the loading zone. The steep terrain that the Frazier firs love makes for difficult harvesting, with most of the cutting and hauling being down by hand until a rough road can be found.

  • November 24, 2008. Ashe County, NC.. Guest workers, from Guatemala and Mexico, bale, ie wrap, the cut trees and set them out for the tractor that will haul them down the steep hillside. Most of the cutting and hauling is done by hand until a rough road can be reached. . Guest workers make up a vital part of the Christmas tree industry. During the busiest part of the season, the weeks leading up to Thanksgiving, they arrive in from other areas of the country to make wreathes,cut, bale, and load trees. Many local workers are year round employees of the large farms, but without the foreign guest workers, the industry could not provide the numbers of tree that the country requires.

  • November 24, 2008. Ashe County, NC.. Guest workers, from Guatemala and Mexico, bale, ie wrap, the cut trees and set them out for the tractor that will haul them down the steep hillside. Most of the cutting and hauling is done by hand until a rough road can be reached. . Guest workers make up a vital part of the Christmas tree industry. During the busiest part of the season, the weeks leading up to Thanksgiving, they arrive in from other areas of the country to make wreathes,cut, bale, and load trees. Many local workers are year round employees of the large farms, but without the foreign guest workers, the industry could not provide the numbers of tree that the country requires.

  • November 24, 2008. Ashe County, NC.. Guest workers, from Guatemala and Mexico, haul the cut trees and set them out for the tractor that will haul them down the steep hillside. Most of the cutting and hauling is done by hand until a rough road can be reached. The trees are baled, ie wrapped, before being put on a truck to prevent damage tot he valuable trees.. Guest workers make up a vital part of the Christmas tree industry. During the busiest part of the season, the weeks leading up to Thanksgiving, they arrive in from other areas of the country to make wreathes,cut, bale, and load trees. Many local workers are year round employees of the large farms, but without the foreign guest workers, the industry could not provide the numbers of tree that the country requires.

  • November 24, 2008. Ashe County, NC.. Guest workers, from Guatemala and Mexico, haul the cut trees and set them out for the tractor that will haul them down the steep hillside. Most of the cutting and hauling is done by hand until a rough road can be reached. The trees are baled, ie wrapped, before being put on a truck to prevent damage tot he valuable trees.. Guest workers make up a vital part of the Christmas tree industry. During the busiest part of the season, the weeks leading up to Thanksgiving, they arrive in from other areas of the country to make wreathes,cut, bale, and load trees. Many local workers are year round employees of the large farms, but without the foreign guest workers, the industry could not provide the numbers of tree that the country requires.

  • November 24, 2008. Ashe County, NC.. Della Deal, of the Ashe County Cooperative Extension office, looks over a tree farm owned by Furches Evergreens.. Deal is the liaison between the state and the farmers. She provides them with information and tests on new techniques and products, as well as teaching workers and farmers about hazardous chemicals and agricultural technique.

  • November 24, 2008. Ashe County, NC.. On one of the lots that is owned by Furches Evergreens, baled trees sit waiting for the tractor that will haul them down the hillside to the loading zone. The steep terrain that the Frazier firs love makes for difficult harvesting, with most of the cutting and hauling being down by hand until a rough road can be found.

  • November 24, 2008. Ashe County, NC.. Guest workers, from Mexico, cut the trees and set them out for the others that will haul them down the steep hillside. The man with the stick lifts the low branches so the cutter can cut the trees at their lowest point above the ground. Because of the steep terrain, most of the cutting and hauling is done by hand until a rough road can be reached. The trees are baled, ie wrapped, before being put on a truck to prevent damage tot he valuable trees.. Guest workers make up a vital part of the Christmas tree industry. During the busiest part of the season, the weeks leading up to Thanksgiving, they arrive in from other areas of the country to make wreathes,cut, bale, and load trees. Many local workers are year round employees of the large farms, but without the foreign guest workers, the industry could not provide the numbers of tree that the country requires.

  • November 24, 2008. Ashe County, NC.. Guest workers, from Mexico, cut the trees and set them out for the others that will haul them down the steep hillside. The man with the stick lifts the low branches so the cutter can cut the trees at their lowest point above the ground. Because of the steep terrain, most of the cutting and hauling is done by hand until a rough road can be reached. The trees are baled, ie wrapped, before being put on a truck to prevent damage tot he valuable trees.. Guest workers make up a vital part of the Christmas tree industry. During the busiest part of the season, the weeks leading up to Thanksgiving, they arrive in from other areas of the country to make wreathes,cut, bale, and load trees. Many local workers are year round employees of the large farms, but without the foreign guest workers, the industry could not provide the numbers of tree that the country requires.

  • November 24, 2008. Ashe County, NC.. Guest workers, from Guatemala and Mexico, haul the cut trees and set them out for the tractor that will haul them down the steep hillside. Most of the cutting and hauling is done by hand until a rough road can be reached. The trees are baled, ie wrapped, before being put on a truck to prevent damage tot he valuable trees.. Guest workers make up a vital part of the Christmas tree industry. During the busiest part of the season, the weeks leading up to Thanksgiving, they arrive in from other areas of the country to make wreathes,cut, bale, and load trees. Many local workers are year round employees of the large farms, but without the foreign guest workers, the industry could not provide the numbers of tree that the country requires.

  • November 24, 2008. Ashe County, NC.. On one of the lots that is owned by Furches Evergreens, baled trees sit waiting for the tractor that will haul them down the hillside to the loading zone. The steep terrain that the Frazier firs love makes for difficult harvesting, with most of the cutting and hauling being down by hand until a rough road can be found.

  • November 24, 2008. Ashe County, NC.. On one of the lots that is owned by Furches Evergreens, baled trees are hauled by tractor down the step hillside to the loading zone. The steep terrain that the Frazier firs love makes for difficult harvesting, with most of the cutting and hauling being down by hand until a rough road can be found and a tractor, and at times a bulldozer, is used to navigate the muddy farm roads.

  • November 24, 2008. Ashe County, NC.. Stumps mark the site of cut trees. They are then set out for the tractor that will haul them down the steep hillside. Most of the cutting and hauling is done by hand until a rough road can be reached. The trees are baled, ie wrapped, before being put on a truck to prevent damage tot he valuable trees. The stumps are left in the soil to decompose and provide organic fuel for the next round of trees that will be planted between the stumps.

  • November 24, 2008. Ashe County, NC.. Cows graze in front of small frazier fir trees, the highest quality of the Christmas tree types, that grow on a mountain hillside. Ashe Co. is ideal for Frazier firs as the altitude, soil, and temperatures are perfect for the finicky trees.. The trees are grown at nurseries until they are 5 years old and then planted. They will grow to an average of 7 to 8 feet tall, the "ideal" Christmas tree height, before being cut and sold. Some are cut smaller and larger, but the majority of sales come in the 7 to 8 foot range..

  • November 28, 2008. Durham, NC.. At the women's only tree lot at Northgate mall, Nikitia Wilkins, a former addict from Spring Hope, NC, tends to the needs of a tree. All the trees come from North Carolina and their sale is one of the biggest money makers for TROSA..TROSA, Triangle Residential Options for Substance Abusers, provides shelter and food for addicts that want to beat their addictions..

  • November 28, 2008. Durham, NC.. At the TROSA women's Christmas tree lot at Northgate Mall, Nikitia Wilkins, left, and Susan Seagle, 2nd from right, trim a tree before taking it to a customer's car. All the trees come from North Carolina and their sale is one of the biggest money makers for TROSA..TROSA, Triangle Residential Options for Substance Abusers, provides shelter and food for addicts that want to beat their addictions.. .

  • November 28, 2008. Durham, NC.. At the women's only tree lot at Northgate mall, Nikitia Wilkins, a former addict from Spring Hope, NC, wraps a tree before it is taken to a customer's car. All the trees come from North Carolina and their sale is one of the biggest money makers for TROSA..TROSA, Triangle Residential Options for Substance Abusers, provides shelter and food for addicts that want to beat their addictions..

  • November 28, 2008. Durham, NC.. At the TROSA women's Christmas tree lot at Northgate Mall, Susan Seagle, a former addict from Drexel, NC who has been with TROSA for a year, loads a tree onto a customer's car. All the trees come from North Carolina and their sale is one of the biggest money makers for TROSA..TROSA, Triangle Residential Options for Substance Abusers, provides shelter and food for addicts that want to beat their addictions..

  • November 28, 2008. Durham, NC.. At the TROSA women's Christmas tree lot at Northgate Mall, Susan Seagle, left, a former addict from Drexel, NC who has been with TROSA for a year, loads a tree onto a customer's car. All the trees come from North Carolina and their sale is one of the biggest money makers for TROSA..TROSA, Triangle Residential Options for Substance Abusers, provides shelter and food for addicts that want to beat their addictions..

  • November 28, 2008. Durham, NC.. At the TROSA women's only Christmas tree lot, recovering addicts carry a tree to the sales lot. All the trees come from North Carolina and their sale is one of the biggest money makers for TROSA..TROSA, Triangle Residential Options for Substance Abusers, provides shelter and food for addicts that want to beat their addictions..