Agricultural Statistics - Christmas Trees

1997 NC Christmas Tree Sales Total $78 Million

North Carolina's Christmas trees inventory during 1997 is estimated at 34.2 million trees on 23,530 acres. Ashe county led the state with 9.8 million trees on 6,500 acres, followed by Avery with 7.9 million trees on 5,100 acres and Alleghany with 6.5 million on 4,500 acres.

Of the estimated 1,600 Christmas tree growers, two-thirds have operations with less than 10 acres of trees, averaging 3 acres of trees per operation. The 60 largest growers, operations having 100 or more acres, account for 51% of the Christmas tree inventory. The average Christmas tree operation in North Carolina has 15 acres of trees with 1,452 trees on each acre.

The 1996 cash receipts from Christmas trees totaled $78 million for North Carolina. Tree sales were valued at $72 million with wreaths, roping and greenery valued at $6.0 million. The top 5 counties in sales were Ashe, Avery, Alleghany, Watauga and Jackson. These 5 counties accounted for 88% of North Carolina's tree sales in 1996.

Expectations for the 1997 cutting season showed growers planning to sell 7% more than in 1996. A survey is being conducted in the spring of 1998 to measure actual 1997 sales and tree inventory by height groups.

**Number of Operations by Size**
Size (acres)	Number of Operations	Number of Trees	Area (acres)	Average Size of Trees
1-9	1,062	3,654	2,850	3
10-24	300	4,530	3,380	11
25-49	103	3,872	2,700	26
50-99	75	4,694	3,400	45
100+	60	17,422	11,200	187
Total	1,600	34,172	23,530	15

North Carolina Christmas Tree Sales 1996
Leading Counties
County	Thousand Dollars	County	Thousand Dollars
Ashe	20,960	Mitchell	3,230
Avery	17,300	Yancey	1,360
Alleghany	15,100	Madison	1,010
Watauga	5,800	Transylvania	800
Jackson	4,500	Macon	450

**North Carolina Christmas Trees, Acres and 1996 Sales by Counties¹**
Counties and Districts	Number of Operations	Christmas Tree Acres	Tree Inventory	Average Trees per Acre	Number of Trees Sold 1996	Average Price per Tree 1996	Value of Sales in 1996 (thousand dollars)	Number of Trees Expected to be Sold 1997
Alleghany	150	4,500	6,500,000	1,444	700,000	21.57	15,100	740,000
Ashe	450	6,500	9,800,000	1,508	1,020,000	20.55	20,960	1,150,000
Avery	200	5,100	7,900,000	1,549	830,000	20.84	17,300	864,000
Watauga	150	1,900	2,750,000	1,447	280,000	20.71	5,800	294,000
Other Counties	13	25	22,500	900	2,400	16.67	40	2,600
N. Mountain	963	18,025	26,972,500	1,496	2,832,400	20.90	59,200	3,050,600
Buncombe	16	60	76,000	1,267	7,000	18.57	130	7,300
Burke	8	50	73,000	1,460	8,000	18.75	150	7,200
Haywood	8	60	72,000	1,200	8,000	21.25	170	7,500
Henderson	8	30	24,000	800	1,800	22.22	40	1,600
Jackson	86	2,000	2,800,000	1,400	220,000	20.45	4,500	225,000
McDowell	4	30	26,000	867	2,300	21.74	50	2,200
Macon	27	170	238,000	1,400	20,000	22.50	450	18,000
Madison	40	300	510,000	1,700	50,000	20.20	1,010	51,000
Mitchell	130	1,300	2,000,000	1,538	160,000	20.19	3,230	170,000
Swain	10	35	46,000	1,314	4,000	20.00	80	3,500
Transylvania	16	250	375,000	1,500	40,000	20.00	800	39,000
Yancey	140	500	656,000	1,312	70,000	19.43	1,360	71,400
Other counties	9	23	14,900	648	1,800	16.67	30	1,800
W. Mountain	502	4,808	6,910,900	1,437	592,900	20.24	12,000	605,500
Mountain Total	1,465	22,833	33,883,400	1,484	3,425,300	20.79	71,200	3,656,100
Craven	²	²	²	²	²	²	40	²
Halifax	8	16	13,000	813	1,400	28.00	40	1,400
Roberson	10	51	29,000	569	3,200	23.00	80	3,200
Wake	12	50	43,000	860	3,900	27.00	105	3,800
Warren	²	²	²	²	²	²	40	²
Other counties	²	²	²	²	²	²	495	²
Non-Mountain	135	697	288,600	414	34,700	21.50	800	33,900
State Total	1,600	23,530	34,172,000	1,452	3,460,000	20.81	72,000	3,690,000

¹Does not include wreaths, roping and greenery.
²Not published where individual data would be disclosed.

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Last update October 2, 2007

NCDA&CS Agricultural Statistics Division, Herb Vanderberry, Director
Mailing Address: P. O. Box 27767 Raleigh, NC 27611
Physical Address: 2 West Edenton Street, Raleigh NC 27601
Phone: (919) 856-4394; FAX: (919) 856-4139
Email: NCagstat@ncagr.gov