For a few weeks, we have been focused on the aftermath of Hurricane Helene in North Carolina, Tennessee, Florida, and Georgia. We have stories of loss and destruction. The disruption of lives has been breaking our hearts and leaving us all struggling to find ways to help. With all the devastation and loss, it is nice to find a bit of good news coming out of the poor situation.
As we start to see Christmas displays in stores all over, we know the holidays are almost upon us. Christmas tree farms are a major staple in the Appalachian Mountain region of western North Carolina. They have a large assortment of some of the most popular species of trees around the country. The storm wreaked havoc on many in the industry.
Larry Smith is a Christmas tree grower who has supplied trees to the White House, Presidents’ families, and many other prominent public places nationwide. He says that for the growers in his area, the storm could not do much damage to the Christmas tree farms.
Smith’s farm grows an estimated 40,000 trees at any one time, and they harvest about ten percent of their farm each year. He says that while the trees are safe, the bigger concern is how they will get them out of the mountains.
Another complication is the fact that there are many still without power across that part of the state. The infrastructure in the region isn’t as robust.
Smith says that compared to others in the agriculture industry, he feels blessed that they weren’t affected more. He says there isn’t a person he knows that hasn’t been affected drastically by Hurricane Helene.
You can investigate how you can help the residents of North Carolina and elsewhere with hurricane relief. My communities are still getting supplies together or accepting donations to help those in need.
