NEW YORK, Nov. 29 (Xinhua) -- Root rot, scant labor, foreign competition, inflation on everything from seeds to tractors, and the havoc wreaked by Hurricane Helene on the western part of North Carolina, which produces more Christmas trees than any state except Oregon, all have been combined to make historic challenges for the planters in the United States, said The Wall Street Journal (WSJ) on Friday.
In particular, Helene's impact will affect the Christmas tree industry for years to come, according to the report. It takes roughly 10 years to grow a full-size Fraser fir, which grows about a foot a year. Many of the trees that were damaged were several years from maturity, pressuring supply in five or six years.
