Making the cut: Where and how to choose a Christmas tree around Asheville

It's an annual holiday ritual for many, loading up the car and heading out to the farm or the local lot and choosing the family Christmas Tree.

In Western North Carolina, that's easier than most places.

The state is home to about 1,300 Christmas tree growers producing the iconic Fraser fir on an estimated 40,000 acres, according to the North Carolina Christmas Tree Association.

Grown all over WNC, the state's Christmas tree industry is second in the nation in number of trees harvested, producing more than 20% of the country's Christmas trees and sending more than a dozen to be the top tree in the nation at the White House.

So the Asheville or WNC local looking to find a top-shelf tree doesn't have to travel far.

One of the favorites is Boyd Mountain Christmas Tree Farm, where owner David Boyd says they expect to sell as many as 3,000 trees on Thanksgiving weekend this year, traditionally the busiest weekend of the season.

Accounting for a typical family of four, he says that's probably 12,000 people who will come through the farm Nov. 26-29.

It led the farm to close after Nov. 29 in 2020, Boyd said, saying it's a cycle every year of supply and demand, and when they closed early last year, the farm had only about 5,000 trees available.

That's up to 7,000 this year, he said, and while the farm is out of 11- to 12-foot trees and taller, there are still plenty in the popular 6- to 9-foot range.

The NC Christmas Tree Association keeps a catalog of both choose-and-cut farms and retail lots where the festive North Carolinian can find their perfect tree, as well as a 60-page guide to picking the perfect one.

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Some of those farms, including both in Buncombe County, offer "you-choose-you-cut" options, and other just "you-choose-we-cut" option, but the key is in the choosing.

Buncombe County is home to a couple farms and multiple retail options, and for the family looking to make a bit of a drive, Western North Carolina offers plenty of options for the enterprising Christmas tree hunter.

But be sure to check hours of operation before you go. In 2020, farms were closing early amid high demand and short supply.

Boyd offered a couple other tips before you go, including to bring a pickup truck and some helping hands if you've got them.

"It's not like a pumpkin patch," he says, on picking, cutting, buying, bailing and loading a Christmas tree.

If you can load it up yourself after you cut it, you can save as much as an hour waiting in line for the farm staff to do it for you, Boyd said.

Boyd Mountain Christmas Tree Farm

At 445 Boyd Farm Road, Waynseville, Boyd Mountain Christmas Tree Farm is a Buncombe County mainstay, offering plenty more than just trees.

Open on Thanksgiving and most days through Dec. 5, Boyd Mountain offers choose-and-cut trees, and Boyd says there's a whole section of premium trees that hasn't yet been opened for picking.

The farm, in the Boyd family for more than a century, says on its Facebook page that trees run between $10-$20 per foot.

Customers can saw their own trees, Boyd says, but staff are also in the field ready to cut it, pick it up, bring it to the bailer and tie it on your vehicle.

He said a food truck is handling cider, hot chocolate, crepes and donuts, and over Thanksgiving weekend, Santa will be on hand.

Sandy Hollar Farms

Open on Thanksgiving weekend and the first weekend in December, Sandy Hollar Farms offers choose-and-cut trees in the Sandy Mush Valley in Leicester, at 63 Sandy Hollar Lane.

The farm started growing trees in 1969 and selling them in the front yard in 1979, according to its website, and with llamas, sheep, goats and cattle on the farm, too, offer wool products to keep you warm as you hunt for the perfect tree.

Mehaffey Tree Farm

In Waynesville, Mehaffey Tree Farm specializes in Fraser firs at 24 Corner Drive, offering trees between 5-10 feet, according to its Facebook page.

Normally a wholesale farm, Mehaffey is only doing retail choose-and-cut in 2021, its website says, opening Nov. 25-28 and Dec. 2-5, 9 a.m.-5 p.m.

In operation since 1984, the farm charges $75-$200 for top-quality trees ranging from 5 feet to 9 and 10 feet tall, though the website says prices may vary.

Moss Tree Farm

Moss Tree Farm in Cashiers, which also operates a second field in Cullowhee, will open Nov. 26-28 for choose-and-cut at its Cashiers field at 1822 Norton Road, selling trees shorter than 10 feet.

Opened in 1976 by Larry and Brenda Moss, the farm focuses on wholesale Christmas trees but offers choose-and-cut every holiday season, its website says.

Open 9 a.m.-4 p.m., the farm in Cashiers offers 6-foot trees starting at $85, and lists on its price sheet trees up to 25 feet tall, for $1,000.

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Going retail? Pick a good one

So how do you spot a good tree?

If you're in a retail lot, here's how to check the tree like a pro, with advice for sellers from the N.C. Christmas Tree Association's guide:

Check the color: As trees dry out, they'll lose color and turn to a paler green or washed-out appearance comparted to healthier trees.

Is it holding on to its needles? Give it a brush with your hand or a little shake. Did a bunch of needles fall off? If so, there's likely a freshness problem with the tree. Losing some needles in the interior of the tree is normal, but the young ones on the outside ought to stay.

Is the foliage cool to the touch? A fresh tree with plenty of water will actually feel cooler than room or ambient temperature compared to a dry tree, which will feel warmer. It's best to check early or late in the day, as direct sunlight can warm the needles up, too.

Do the needles bend? Fresh needles will bend in the hand and return to their normal position without breaking. Branches, too, should bend. Dry branches and needles are stiff and brittle.

Give it a weight check. Obviously larger trees weigh more, but if the trees are similar in size, a heavier tree means a fresh tree with plenty of water. If you've checked the other points, picking it up can confirm your assessment.

Don't worry too much on grading quality for a tree that's still in the ground.

Boyd says "here at the farm, they're all going to be good. You're going to get the freshest you can get on the stump."

Derek Lacey covers health care, growth and development for the Asheville Citizen Times. Reach him at DLacey@gannett.com or 828-417-4842 and find him on Twitter @DerekAVL.

This article originally appeared on Asheville Citizen Times: Asheville NC: Where to find and how to choose a Christmas tree locally