NORTH CAROLINA (WTVD) – Western North Carolina is home to one of the nation’s largest sources of Christmas trees. That’s why many are hoping to show their support for the local economy in the wake of Hurricane Helene.

This year, more people are opting for the tradition of a fresh tree instead of a store-bought tree.

“A lot of people have said, you know I haven’t had a real tree in 10 years, at least 5 years, but they want to buy a real tree just to support Western North Carolina,” says Blake Haley with Parker’s Christmas trees.

This support is critical to the Christmas tree industry hit hard by Hurricane Helene.

Parker’s sources trees from Western North Carolina at its property on Highway 98 in Wake Forest.

Other farms in WNC allow customers to visit and cut their own trees. They encourage people to consider this too, as visiting the West can also benefit the local economy.

At Twin Pines Nursery in Avery County, they were among the lucky ones in terms of minimal damage from Helene.

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Luckily, their crop was mostly fine, although transportation was a challenge for a while due to the roads.

“With some of the bridges and damage I saw, I didn’t expect anything to happen any time soon, but this just shows the resilience. Not just the mountains, the community, but everyone from all over the mountains comes up and lends a helping hand,” says Dustin Haigler.

And they will need this support in the years to come – Christmas trees require much more patience than other crops.

“When we talk about Christmas trees, we’re talking about a 6 or 7 year investment to get the tree to the size it needs to be. So when you lose trees or lose a farm, you have to think about what you’re doing. “I want to do this because I have to think six or seven years ahead,” says Shawn Harding with the NC Farm Bureau.