Source: NCDA&CS, 6/2/22


Like any other farmers, Christmas trees growers in western North Carolina are always looking for ways to grow more and better product. One challenge to that effort is a root rot that’s affecting swaths of Christmas trees, particularly the Fraser fir that’s the preferred and predominant Christmas tree variety in North Carolina (Arguably, Fraser firs are also preferred across the nation or at least the eastern half of the country). The name is Phytophthora root rot, and it’s caused by fungus-like organisms in the genus Phytophthora. That may sound fancy or complicated, but the bottom line is that these organisms sometimes called “water-molds” can cause significant damage to Fraser firs.

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