Fraser firs are one of the most popular Christmas trees in America and few make a better Christmas tree. Fraser firs have a beautiful bluish-green color, excellent needle retention, and pleasant scent. They have strong branches capable of holding heavy ornaments that cascade downward, creating the perfect platform to decorate the tree. They also have soft needles and are not prickly.
The Fraser fir grows naturally only in the southern Appalachian mountains (above 3,000 feet). Consequently, North Carolina produces the majority of Fraser firs. The cool temperatures and large amounts of rainfall in the mountains of North Carolina create the perfect climate for Fraser firs, ensuring a healthy tree with good color and needle retention. If you’re looking for Fraser fir, North Carolina Fraser fir is the best.
Fraser Fir Facts:
- On average, it takes 7 to 10 years in the field to produce a 6-7 feet Fraser fir Christmas tree.
- The Fraser fir was named for John Fraser, a Scottish botanist who explored the southern Appalachian Mountains of North Carolina in the late 1700s.
- The Fraser fir is a pyramid-shaped tree that reaches a maximum height of 80 feet and a trunk diameter of 1-1/2 feet.
- Over 50 million Fraser firs are grown in North Carolina on 25,000 acres for use as Christmas trees, and the Fraser fir represents over 90% of all the trees grown in North Carolina as Christmas trees.
- The North Carolina Fraser fir Christmas tree is the most popular Christmas tree in North America and is shipped into every state in the U.S. as well as the Caribbean Islands, Mexico, Canada, Bermuda, Japan and other points all over the world.
- The North Carolina Fraser fir has been judged the Nation's best through a contest sponsored by the National Christmas Tree Association and chosen for the official White House Christmas tree 12 times (more than any other species)....1971, 1973, 1982, 1984, 1990, 1993, 1995, 1997, 2005, 2007, 2008 and 2012.
- Principal uses are generally the same as for balsam fir, although Fraser fir has been used less for timber because of the difficult terrain on which it grows. The wood is soft and brittle and may be used for pulpwood, light frame construction, interior knotty paneling, and crates. Fraser fir boughs have often been used for "pine pillows" and bed stuffing.
For more information about Fraser fir, you can visit the North Carolina Christmas Tree Association as well as the NCSU Extension Christmas Tree Program.
