Larry Smith signs the bottom of his tree once it was loaded for transport to The White House.
Avery County Cooperative Extension Director Jerry Moody literally ‘putting his back into it,’ with the help of JROTC students, as they load the winning Fraser Fir into the trailer that will transport it to The White House.
Media members surrounded the tree as it was being cut and loaded for transport off the farm at Mountain Top Fraser Fir in Newland.
Larry Smith inspects the souvenir piece he took from the base of the trunk. He estimated the tree’s age at 25 years.
Larry Smith speaking to reporters as the tree is loaded at his Newland farm.
Christmas tree grower Larry Smith has capped off a year of accolades and media attention with a trip to the White House and his presentation of the tree that will be displayed in the Blue Room this holiday season.
The tree was selected on Sept. 24 during a media event that brought White House staff, as well as state and National Christmas Tree Association officials, to Smith’s Newland farm. The gaggle of television crews was an unusual sight in a town of about 700 people.
Interested in getting a tree selected for display in our nation’s capital? One need only win the National Christmas Tree Association’s annual contest, which Smith accomplished to receive the high honor.
The tree was cut and began its journey to the White House on Wednesday, Nov. 14, during another event primarily attended by media members. Cameras surrounded the tree and its transport-truck-in-waiting as the Fraser fir was quickly felled by a chainsaw. The super-sized tree had to be tied before being lifted onto the truck.
Smith had commented previously that large trees were typically not deemed beautiful enough to harvest when they were young, and estimated the age of his winning tree at 25 years. During the harvest process, Smith made sure to take a souvenir slice off the bottom of the tree before it began its maiden voyage to Mountain Glen Golf Club, where it would be loaded into a trailer provided by the N.C. Department of Agriculture to make its journey northeast.
This is not the only tree Smith will have in Washington this year. Last week, Smith, along with two other Avery County growers, donated and shipped off a total of 65 trees to be part of the Pathway of Peace at President’s Park.
A brief press conference was held featuring N.C. Agriculture Commissioner Steve Troxler, as well as Smith, N.C. Christmas Tree Association Executive Director Jennifer Greene and Avery County Cooperative Extension Service Director Jerry Moody.
During remarks, Troxler said North Carolina ranks second in the nation for Christmas tree farming — which represents an $85 million economic boon to the state — and cuts 4.3 million trees each year.
“In my mind, we grow the finest, most beautiful, most fragrant Christmas trees that anybody in the world grows right here in North Carolina, and we are extremely proud of that,” Troxler said.
Troxler took time to express his appreciation for Smith’s pride in his trade and that of other growers in the state.
“Every time that North Carolina is not chosen as the grand champion to put the tree in the White House, my first thought is the judges made a mistake,” Troxler said.
Moody highlighted Smith as a practicer of integrated pest management, a method designed to minimize the environmental impact of pest control. Smith also briefly spoke, primarily recognizing his family and thanking his partner, Beth Gibbons, for helping him run the electronic side of his business.
After the conference, the tree was transferred to its awaiting trailer with the help of Moody and Avery County High School JROTC cadets before beginning its voyage. The bottom of the tree had picked up a few signatures from the local cadets, as well as by Smith himself, before the wheels began to propel the tree on its way.
Smith will be on hand in Washington, D.C., to present the winning tree for the Blue Room to First Lady Melania Trump on Monday, Nov. 19.
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