RALEIGH — The idea of breeding a better Christmas Tree has been riveting
researchers at NC State for more than 5 years now. They say they still
haven't perfected the procedure, but they're getting close.

With North Carolina now the second largest source of Christmas trees in
the US, NC State has ramped up its research of the holiday mainstay. In
fact, the school has the first training school in the nation for
commercial Christmas tree pest scouts, people who, for a fee, regularly
inspect tree fields for insects, weeds, diseases, and other things that
threaten the quality of the trees.

"Cotton soybeans and corn have been using the pest scouts for years,"
explains tree expert Craig McKinley. "We're beginning to modify their
techniques."

The researchers have also kept a close eye on efforts to breed Western
North Carolina's famous Fraser Fir trees north of the Mason Dixon line.

"We've seen some differences in color," McKinley continues, "which may
eventually lead to a different type of a needle, say a shorter needle, a
less growth, less dense tree."

Tree grower Fred Barick says there are a lot details involved in selecting
not just the sources of the stock, but working with it over a period of
seven years to develop trees that are superior to those being grown now.

And another thing that the researchers are working on is developing out a
cedar Christmas tree that's not so prickly to the touch. You can expect
to see those trees for sale in about five years.

Each year North Carolina growers sell between 5.5 and six million
Christmas trees. Most tree farms are in Western North Carolina, but there
are some in the central part of the state as well.

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