A Christmas Tree Tradition From The Appalachian Mountains

The Beautiful Fraser Fir

One of our many tree farms located in the mountains of North Carolina

The History

The history of the Fraser Fir begins in the High Mountains of the Southern Appalachians. About 20,000 years ago, during the last Ice Age, glaciers covered most of the land except the highest mountain peaks. Small groups of fir trees were left untouched by the ice. These trees would later be named Fraser Fir (Abies Fraseri).

Early each spring our Tree Farm managers plant 150,000 to 200,000 fir seedlings. These seedlings are descendants of the old grandparents still standing on the high slopes today.

Trimming The Trees

The gorgeous Appalachian summers are spent mowing the grass and trimming the trees in order to produce the perfect shape of the high quality Christmas Trees our farms grow.

The Harvest

Harvest time, in the late fall, is very busy as the trees are tagged, cut and prepared for market. After all the trees have reached their homes for Christmas, we begin the rotation again by making the trip to the high mountain peaks to gather seeds for the spring planting.

The Trees

The Fraser Fir represents the bulk of our Christmas Tree crop. Independence Tree Farms & Nursery harvests most trees with an average height from 6-8 feet, although we do offer a selection of various heights ranging from 3-12 feet. Fraser Fir seedlings, White Pine & Fraser Fir wreaths & roping are also available.

The Fraser Fir (Abies Fraseri), has soft, pleasant to touch needles and incomparable needle retention. The lasting aroma, beautiful shape and strong boughs, which support the heaviest of ornaments, make this exceptional tree one of the most popular trees of the season. Your customer will love it.

We pride ourselves in producing a premium, high quality tree year after year - a quality product our customers have come to depend on.

The Farms

Our Christmas Tree farms are located in the high mountains of Grayson County, VA and Ashe County, NC. The natural habitat of the Fraser Fir occurs at elevations of 3,500 feet and higher. Our farms are located at the highest possible elevation to ensure an excellent quality Christmas tree.

Independence Tree Farms currently produce more that 50,000 Christmas Trees each year. Our trees are shipped all over the United States. Each tree is wrapped before shipping to ensure that only the finest quality trees reach our buyers.

Our farms are in all levels of tree production, from seedlings to mature Christmas Trees. As the trees are harvested we start the next rotation the following spring. The normal rotation for the Fraser Fir ranges from 10 to 15 years depending on the size of the tree desired.

Seedlings ~ Fraser Firs ~ Wreaths ~ Garland

Serving Our Customers From Seed Beds To Mature Christmas Trees

Member of:

Other Memberships:

VA Nursery & Landscape Assoc., NC Assoc. of Nurserymen, TN Nurserymen’s Assoc.

For Order Information Contact:

Independence Tree Farms & Nursery

Shirley Richardson

1179 Elk Creek Church Rd

Sparta, NC 28675

Phone: 336-657-7294 FAX: 336-372-7694