Dashboards and Saddlebags the Destination Magazine™ Issue 021 December 2012 | Page 16

Choose & Cut
An Old Fashioned Family Tradition
W
TREE FACTS
North Carolina ranks second in the
nation in live Christmas tree production.
Fraser Firs are native to the Southern
Appalachian region. They are extremely
well-adapted to the environmental
conditions of Watauga County.
Christmas trees are grown as a
renewable crop, and therefore add
more living trees to our planet. Unlike
Christmas trees of the past, modern
Christmas tree farms replant up to 3 tree
seedlings for every tree that is harvested
from their farm. Modern-day Christmas
tree farms do not cut down trees in the
forest and sell them to customers.
By planting Christmas tree seedlings
every year, farmers are helping to
decrease the carbon footprint of
their farms. Living Christmas trees
will absorb and retain carbon from
the atmosphere and utilize it for
photosynthesis, producing sugars and
carbohydrates for the trees to live off of.
Christmas tree farms provide
shelter, food, and habitat for a
diverse array of wildlife, including
bears, deer, groundhogs, squirrels,
turkey, quail, songbirds, insects,
and microorganisms in the soil.
Real Christmas trees, as opposed to
artificial Christmas trees, are 100%
biodegradable and can be recycled
in many ways: chipped up for mulch,
sunken in ponds to create fish habitat,
placed in the backyard for use as a
birdfeeder or using trees to stabilize
sand dunes on coastal areas.
Artificial Christmas trees are made
overseas from petroleum-based
products and non-recyclable PVC
plastics. Some artificial trees are
packaged with a pair of gloves, to
protect customers from directly touching
the Lead that artificial trees contain.

atauga County, known as the
“Choose and Cut Capital”,
is home to some of the most
entertaining and scenic Choose and
Cut farms across the region. Choose
and Cut involves customers visiting
a tree farm and roaming across
tree-covered hillsides hunting the
perfect tree to take home with
them. Choose and Cut is the
essential holiday family tradition,
where young and old alike can
enjoy a day on a real farm. Many
farms offer hayrides, farm animals,
cookies and cocoa, and even
Christmas Shops where wreaths
and roping are also available.
Many families visit the same
Choose and